Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

A melancholy metaphysical romance that illustrates how human beings are the sum total of their experiences, this distinctively surreal, meditative fable takes place largely inside the rapidly dissolving memories of a dejected sad sack named Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), who hopes to end a crippling case of heartbreak by having his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) electronically expunged from his cerebellum in a makeshift CAT-scan procedure performed by a dubious back-alley doctor. Co-written by the ingeniously idiosyncratic Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), the sublimely disorienting narrative hits the Freudian jackpot of lucid dreaming as Joel has a change of heart while deep inside his own subconscious and runs backwards though discordant memories trying to save from erasure the fond remembrances of his troubled romance. Cunningly intricate (I've barely touched on the whole of the plot), the film's heart lies in the insightful emotional candor that Kaufman brings to this story of two people who may be truly fated for each other, but for whom happiness does not come easily or forever after. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in either a widescreen or full screen version, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, an 11-minute “A Look Inside” making-of featurette, a 15-minute “Conversation” interview with costar Jim Carrey and Gondry, seven minutes of deleted scenes, the music video “Light & Day” by Polyphonic Spree, and the brief “Lacuna Commercial.” Bottom line: a fine extras package for one of 2004's best.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review--January 11, 2005--Focus, 2 discs, 108 min., R, $27.98--Note: Making its second appearance on DVD, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Collector's Edition includes all of the extras mentioned above, as well as the 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “Inside the Mind of Michel Gondry,” the 17-minute segment “Anatomy of a Scene: Saratoga Avenue,” a 14-minute “Conversation” with Gondry and costar Kate Winslet, 19 minutes of new deleted/extended scenes, an Easter egg (leading to the animated short “The Misadventures of Superdog”), and a commemorative booklet featuring review excerpts, quotes, moviegoer statements, and photos. Bottom line: a nice double-disc set spotlighting one of 2004's best films.]