Throughout the movie you will see her in those different colors. When Clementine meets Joel, she talks about her constant change of hair color and that they all have names: blue ruin, red menace, yellow fever, green revolution and agent orange. I tell my students that in great mise-en-scene you’re able to pause once in a while, analyze a particular shot- and get an understanding of the themes an author is dealing with. They will be positioned in the right corner of the frame – their bodies touching – and to the left there will be a big symbolic crack in the ice. The camera will be using a bird’s eye angle. Notice early in the film when Clementine and Joel go to the frozen Charles River and lay on the ice. You’re navigating the landscape of Joel’s mind.ĭirector Gondry accomplishes most of the effects with camera tricks – using forced perspectives, split focus and editing. The result is a very unique tale that has a bit of sci-fi, psychological thriller and lots of romance. Trying to keep up with it all is part of the fun. We become detectives sorting out all the information and the clues that are given to us – and the order in which they are presented. He also knows cinema really well – and blends the genre of a thriller into his tale that adds urgency. His dialogue is not only erudite but very poetic. The writing is bathed in dry humor and very keen, philosophical observations along the way about memory and love. In his narratives he will center on lonely and helpless characters dealing with existential situations. He’s responsible for writing “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation,” and “Anomalisa,” among others. Kaufman is that rare screenwriter whose work has its own stamp that surpasses the director’s. As confusing as this may all sound – the viewer is able to follow it all pretty quickly once the premise is established. He also starts to suspect that Patrick (one of the technicians) may be stealing his recollections to seduce Clementine. Joel starts to realize he doesn’t want to let go of his remembrances of Clementine regardless of how painful it is to deal with their breakup. Clementine is volatile and impulsive – dyes her hair in different colors and makes elaborate figures out of potatoes. Joel is an introvert who’s not been successful at dating in the past. We get glimpses in reverse chronological order of Joel and Clementine’s courtship – from their last fight until the day they met. While sedated in his own apartment and wired to a machine – Joel is able to see his memories while they’re wiping them out. Stan and Patrick – bumbling lab technicians – start the treatment. Heartbroken and understanding that he will not be able to cope without her, he decides to undergo the same course of action. Mierzwiak wherein the memories of a romantic relationship can be erased. Heading into Valentine’s Day, Joel finds out that the girl he’s in love with – Clementine – has gone to the Lacuna laboratories to undergo a procedure developed by Dr. The latter is probably my favorite acting in the past 20 years and a defining moment in her illustrious career. Jim Carrey does very subtle and nuanced work– and Kate Winslet goes for broke in the very challenging role of Clementine. The directing by Michel Gondry is intrepid and matches the intricacy of the screenplay – achieving most of its derring-do with ingenuity. Its script by Charlie Kaufman is one of the most structurally complex and very deep in its understanding of the human condition. I will go as far as saying this is one of the best films of the 21st Century. After watching it last night, I’m more passionate about its accomplishments than ever before. “I can’t remember anything without you,” says Joel in the profound “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Since its release in March 2004, I have loved this film and have taught it to my students every semester.
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