Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This may not be technically news, but it merits saying aloud in as public a place as possible. Go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I caught an early matinee today and came away much impressed … Charlie Kaufman continues to grow as a writer and this is very likely the best ‘serious’ performance that Jim Carrey will ever give and considering how highly I hold his work in Man on the Moon that’s a pretty serious compliment. Kaufman built his name with the extended mind games of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation but his work on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind showed me that he’s got a firm grasp on humanity as well and Sunshine pushes that even further. Yes, the trademark Kaufman ticks are there – the fractured timeline and questioning of basic reality are the most obvious – but he has fused them here with incredibly rich characters to create what, in my mind, is clearly his finest work to date. Michel Gondry is an impeccable choice as director, effortlessly fusing the trickery and mind games that make Kaufman so much fun with the realism and true human heart that give this film it’s kick. And the cast, from top to bottom, is absolutely stellar with Carey in particular giving a fearless portrayal of a deeply insecure and damaged man. It’s early yet, but this is the best film of the year so far.