Review of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) by Alexson P — 19 Feb 2013

Wow. I can't believe I just saw this. I loved it. Nothing I can really complain about except that I wished it was longer. I was reminded of 500 Days of Summer, as both films are about a character going back through past memories in their relationship with this girl they love, but of course, there are differences, and this movie, clearly was an influence for that movie, as well as other movies like: Scott Pilgrim Vs the World.

Anyways, I loved the surrealism used by Michael Gondry. It works perfectly, and the depressing atmosphere with a bit of hope always present, really just did it. I cried a bit in the middle, but the montage sequence in the ending, just totally did it for me.

First of all, being able to relate to the main character helps, a lot. Secondly, watching a man trying to del- oh wait, if I go any further, I will most likely spoil the movie, so yeah. Jim Carreys performance is just astounding.

I really didn't think he was capable of such naturalism. Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, etc are all great as well. The best thing about this movie is the fact that it's pure experimentation at it's best.

..heck, it's art, at it's best. I loved how despite how depressing the movie gets, there is this light hearted comedy throughout, with the usage of music and script, perfectly. There is also just so much the film has in it, that I have to give it a re-watch to clearly grasp it all.

The themes the film goes through, like questioning the ethics of using science to destroy love, is it really healthy to live with the memory of someone you loved but doesn't love you back, etc. Oh man.

The best way to describe this movie is: tragically beautiful. The ending was just...perfect. I was totally satisfied with it. It's as real as real can be. I'll add in that this film also basically made me appreciate the one I love so much more than ever.

Anyways, yeah...this is definitely among the best movies I've seen.