"Random thoughts," muses the impassioned and tormented lover Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) in the opening voice-over of the astonishingly creative new comedy ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. For while events, themes and plots may seem governed by the powers of chaos theory, in truth they are well-honed creations of two ceaselessly inventive artists, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry. Kaufman, who has stretched reality like taffy in previous works like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Human Nature, has found a new, richer resonance with Gondry (who also helmed Nature, as well as seminal videos by Bjork and The Chemical Brothers). Their latest collaboration both embraces and transcends the quirkiness of Kaufman's previous efforts and forms it into a moving, inspired mediation on the funny-sad nature of love.

Ah, l'amour. Toujours l'amour. It is a subject as old as humanity itself, and anyone visiting the sorry romances at the multiplex these days could easily assume that there's nothing new to say on the subject. They would be wrong. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND takes a ludicrous premise -- two despairing lovers decide to have all memories of their relationship erased from their memories -- and plays it as a passionate defense of imperfection in our world, the beauty of understanding another human being intimately, and arguing that the illumination of the soul is found not in ourselves but in those we love. Literally ripping into Joel's mind, Kaufman explores the truths of relationship-building with more wit and invention than any movie this decade. How do we find love in this world, and make it work in our lives? One would be hard pressed to find a more important question for any artist to answer. For that, and for many more reasons, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is a triumph of filmmaking, a triumph of storytelling...a film that will (with any luck) vault its creators into broad commercial success.

Stacked with an exemplary cast, many of whom are doing career-best work, ETERNAL SUNSHINE feels pulsatingly alive. The screen crackles with electric, punchy dialogue and simple but jaw-dropping special effects. And yet, for all of its bells and whistles, the film is at its best when it approaches its central concerns head-on. The irony, of course, is that our generation's most important film about the painfulness inherent in the search for love is also its most joyous celebration. When bookstores suddenly turn into bedrooms and houses instantaneously fill with sand, it is not only chronicling an imagination gone amuck -- it is giving magnificent cinematic homage to the kaleidoscopic ephemerality of falling in (and out of, and in, and out of) love.

Considering the number of high-profile actors Gondry has gathered for this most fanciful foray, it is to his credit that he is able to garner tremendous performances from all of them. As Joel, Carrey finally gets the role that has always eluded him -- a serio-comic slice of reality that calls neither for his screwball physicality nor his histrionic overreaching. ETERNAL SUNSHINE shows Carrey as an actor of untapped ability, exhibiting a quiet simplicity that approaches something like gracefulness. It is without a doubt his best performance since The Truman Show, and perhaps the best of his career. As Joel's fiery object of affection, Clementine, the Oscar-nominated Kate Winslet (Iris, Titanic) nearly bursts the screen with her winning smile and directionless good humor. The chemistry between them is as palpable as it is unexpected.

The two leads are surrounded by a quartet of 'professionals' from Lacuna, Inc., the company that does mind erasings. And one could not ask for a more unusual foursome: Oscar Nominee Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom), Kirsten Dunst (Bring It On), Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count On Me), and Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings). While they are perhaps odd matches in a Hollywood casting office, the four share one important underlying trait...they are all vastly talented and widely underrated actors who need only the right script to shine. In ETERNAL SUNSHINE, all of them reach for the stars and each snags at least a few. Especially touching is Ruffalo, whose stoner loser finds himself completely out of his depth (scientifically and emotionally), and Wood, whose rebellious youngsters rapidly becomes, um, whipped.

I'm forgoing a plot summary on purpose. Partly because it's too complex to capture in a paragraph, but also because I'm hoping that you'll rush out and buy a ticket. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is being released early in 2004, but it's already better than any film released in 2003. It promises to break, mend, twist, and surprise your heart, careening along as the rush of Joel's mind chases him through his ever-vanishing memories. Gasp-inducing in its vibrancy, it's truly one film that's got to be experienced. Grab the guy or girl you'd fall in love with all over again, and head straight for the theatre. It's time to light, and re-light, the fire.

-- Gabriel Shanks

Read other Mixed Reviewers' reviews of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND:
Jill's review
Martin's review
Ned's Review

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