What if we could simply erase the ones, we love the most from our memory? The idea is frightening, but it can be tempting in moments of greater suffering or longing. This is the premise of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of the most acclaimed love films of the 2000s. Mixing new technologies with a very old theme, the famous "heartbreak", the plot explores the past and the How we look at our memories.

In his new feature film, Charlie Kaufman reprises the duo with director Michel Gondry, with whom he worked on The almost human nature. The French filmmaker, known for the music videos he made with singer Björk, manages to use his colleague's script very well, and in the denser parts of the film, he makes great use of the fusions of scenery, like George Clooney in Confessions. Here, however, they have a meaning beyond mere aesthetics, as we are inside the protagonist's head.

Insecure and needy, Joel Barish (Carrey) is your typical Kaufmanian hero: as he makes eye contact with the beautiful Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet) on a beach, he thinks, "Why do I fall in love with every woman who gives me any attention? ". However, right after we witness the friendly meeting of the two characters, the narrative jumps in time to show us that the stark differences between Joel and Clementine's personalities doomed the relationship - and, to get rid of the painful memories, the girl submits to a 'surgery', newly developed by a certain dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Wilkinson), able to selectively erase memories of his ill-fated marriage to Joel. Upon discovering what his ex-wife did, the subject decides to follow the same procedure, but, during the surgery, he realizes that he wants to keep the memories and does everything to prevent them from being removed from his brain.

Surpassing, in inventiveness and intelligence, the sequence in Being John Malkovich in which a chase takes place in the subconscious of the title character, Joel's efforts to keep Clementine's memory alive is the great attraction of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: firstly, such memories are "erased" in reverse chronological order, and thus we see the last moments of the couple's relationship first - and, as the film progresses, we go back in time and discover the charm that initially existed in that marriage. Furthermore, by reliving the most remarkable moments of his life with Clementine, Joel concludes the obvious: we can only evolve thanks to our experiences (good or bad), and losing this reference is too high a price to pay for the comfort of avoiding suffering. For a while. From then on, Kaufman once again proves his talent by showing that he is not limited to creating interesting concepts, he is also a master at exploring them to the fullest, and transforms our "tour" through Joel's mind into a journey that borders on the surreal: the boy's memories are joined by his imagination, his reflections on past events and even the knowledge acquired during the surgery, since he is still able to hear (even unconsciously) what dr. Howard are talking.

The film calls our attention for its incredible identity in the way it tells the story. The non-linearity is what determines part of the script's strength, after all, a lot of what we're looking at is a big extended memory. And, as the script presents subtle details, they end up having an effect at some point, no matter how small. In this sense, the montage works very well on the way in which it will intercalate these events. Everything is out of order, but is this necessary to work as a surprise for the viewer, such as: for what reasons are both of you doing this? How did they meet? In what period does this take place? The non-sequential way of answering all of this is what makes the film so thought-provoking. The scenes in Joel's head are impressive. The reality distortions, the blurs, the absence of light and the gradually disappearing elements have an immense capacity for immersion. It really feels like dreams disappearing, where only Joel and the audience understand, it's palpable and fantasy at the same time. Thus, when there is a transition and mixture of these memories, in that context it makes sense.

Demonstrating that he has evolved as a feature film director since his debut in the role (precisely in "Almost Human Nature"), Michel Gondry conducts the film with confidence, never allowing the spectator to feel lost - which is admirable, since, in addition to from the sequences that take place in Joel's mind, we are presented with two other plots: one involving Patrick (Wood) and Clementine; and another addressing Mary's (Dunst) interest in Dr. Howard. What's more, unlike silliness like "Van Helsing" and "Haunted Mansion," which revolve around visual effects and ignore story, here Gondry uses effects as a function of the script's needs, which is admirable.

What is most human in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is precisely the understanding of something that completely escapes any perverse or insensitive scientism, like what we see on the screen when Clementine and Joel try to erase all memories, indistinctly, of their finished relationship. I like the way science is presented in the film. The feature film peremptorily refuses the lure of presenting a hyper-technological face of science, capable of generating even dazzle and admiration for its futuristic achievements. In contrast, the clinic's team of scientists who promote the "treatment" are not presented with any pomp or seriousness. The very device placed on the patients' heads seems poorly made and somewhat silly, belonging to any uninteresting and unbelievable sci-fi children's story.

And here is the main and most accurate criticism of Michel Gondry's film, with a strong dystopian flavor, to the idea of a science without limits. What most essentially eludes the film's scientists is the understanding that we are made, above all else, of affections. It is this indelible affectivity that Joel will discover during the pseudo-therapeutic process when he exclaims: "No, not that memory! Let me keep this one at least." The necessary question remains: what science do we want for the future? The one that leads us to technical progress without stripping us of our most basic humanity, or the one that erases our memories and, thus, erases ourselves as beings with history? The one that anesthetizes and infantilizes us or the one that allows us to feel the world and thus humanize it? And starting from what the film gives us, through a love story so loved by so many people, we can go further. Is it not the affections, good or bad, that teach us individually and, at the same time, allow humanity itself to improve collectively, even with enormous difficulties and setbacks?

The star cast agreed to work for much lower amounts than usual. This type of commitment only happens when there is the possibility of working with renowned directors, different scripts, or roles completely opposite to what is usually offered to them, but which can yield strong performances and serious chances in the awards season. Jim Carrey proves once again that he is a great dramatic actor, as he had already done in "The Truman Show" and "Andy's World". The actor is restrained and never exhibits any trace of his usual histrionics, transforming Joel into a melancholic and real figure. Kate Winslet and her colorful hair are not at all reminiscent of her role in "Titanic". And among the secondary characters, all have equal importance and performance. For fans of Kirsten Dunst, the scene where she appears in panties and a tank top jumping on the bed is worth highlighting. The cast is completed by Tom Wilkinson (Girl with a Pearl Earring), Mark Ruffalo (In The Cut) and Elijah Wood (Frodo from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy).

Perhaps the film deserved an ending that was a little more in-depth, which somehow touched more on these successive questions that it implicitly raises. Instead, the final scene shows the reconciliation of the protagonists with a rather cliché dialogue. But the slightly disappointing conclusion is not able to change a fact - the inventiveness of the script, the agile and vibrant direction of Gondry and the excellent performance of the main actors make Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind an original film, well directed and capable of think of several layers.

For those who like to put labels on movies, "Eternal Sunshine" is a dramatic comedy with hints of science fiction, but mainly, it's a love story. That's the only way to define this script that mixes different influences and makes you laugh (intelligently), get emotional (without easy tears) and think (a lot). Just when you think you understand where all this is going, there is a twist and the story changes direction and even style. This time, in addition to messing with what is real or not, Charlie Kaufman also plays with the timeline of his short story. Are we at the beginning of a line or in the middle of a cycle? Is what happened really in the past? All this is detail. It's just a device he uses to make the audience think.