Very
rarely do I not need time after a film to think about it some
more before I can honestly say that it is one of the greatest
ever made. It has only been two hours since seeing this film,
and I can honestly say, without reservation, that Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind is one of the greatest films ever made.
I
went in expecting a LOT. Especially since I'm a huge fan of both
Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry. Ever since I saw Gondry's work
for the very first time, I knew he had something. He just has
the gift. The ability to render complex emotions and thoughts
in simple abstract forms and rhythms, as would, perhaps, a very
talented child. His strengths play very well for this film, and
it's difficult to imagine anybody else better suited for the project.
And
Charlie Kaufman. Man oh man, if he isn't the most brutally honest,
incisive, imaginative, and enduringly romantic screenwriter working
today, I don't know who is. His work was already pure genius in
my mind, and with this, he takes it up another level. Sheesh.
The
acting is superb. They knew how good the script was, you can tell.
Everyone on this project must have known from the moment they
read it that they were working on something marvelous, because
it is. Despite such heavy departures from traditional form and
structure, it manages, by holding onto the heart of the story,
to make it through such a chaotic torrent of information, and
in many ways the film is about that holding onto the soul amidst
such chaos. (The chaos is so beautiful in this film, too) The
music is great, the effects are put to great use, the dialogue
so real, the characters so, so human, it is difficult for me to
find any faults...
A
great, great film from some of my favorite creators! Man, I LOVE
this film!! Can you tell? I could go on for hours, but I gotta
get back to work...