Review By J1 Reporter Reese Eggers

Spoiler Alert! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Photo source: focus features.com.

When sitting down to watch this Jim Carrey movie, I expected to get a good chuckle and lose a few brain cells, and boy was I mistaken. In Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey, who stars alongside Kate Winslet, shows viewers his range is much more broad than the laugh-out-loud movies he is known for. The movie centers around Joel—a socially awkward and loveable character—alongside Clementine, his lively and chaotic love interest. After a grim fight, Joel attempts to rectify the situation by visiting Clementine at work. When he arrives he finds her with another man, and on an even stranger note, with no memory of him or their relationship.

As the day continues, Joel discovers that Clementine got a sketchy procedure to have him erased from her mind. Amidst his heartbreak and astonishment, he makes the decision to get the same procedure. 

The movie then mostly takes place in Joel’s subconscious where he fights to hold onto his memories of Clementine. Each scene had me feeling hopeless and anxious, while simultaneously making me fall in love with Clementine’s brightly colored hair and her relationship with Joel. Their relationship, although messy, was a beautiful depiction of the complexities of humans. I felt myself relating to both characters, and longing for them to find their way to each other.

One of the famous scenes from this film, which centers around Joel’s memory of when they first met, was in a house on the beach. As they speak of their regrets and sadness around losing each other, the house begins to get taken away with the tide. This beautiful use of the tide, representing his memories washing away, alongside the confusion and unrealisticness of the situation, helped me to fully feel emerged in Joel’s subconscious.

Although the last hour of the movie had me feeling despairing and slightly depressed, it redeemed itself when both Clementine and Joel received CDs of their interviews, describing the person they wanted to erase. Both characters, confused at how the person they had just met was someone they had previously tried to erase and find each other again, decide to rebuild their relationship.

Regardless of the grief felt by the lost memories and love they had felt for each other, the movie ends on a note of melancholy hope.

This movie gave me everything I could ask for: beautiful film style, complicated characters—played by excellent actors—and a plot that leaves the audience with mixed emotions. 

Each scene left me longing for someone I haven’t met yet, and nostalgic for memories I do not remember. If given the opportunity, I beg of you, expand your mind and watch this cinematic masterpiece.