MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Felt like something a bit warmer and weirder this week. So here we go; ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

Plot in a nutshell; After their relationship turns sour, Joel discovers his ex, Clementine, has had him erased from her memory. Understandably upset, Joel does the same, only to change his mind part way through the procedure and attempt to hold on to his fading memories…

Every once in a while, a script comes along that is just so different, original and magical, you have to stop and take a breath. We’ve all thought about doing it. What if I could erase that memory that’s holding me back? Would things be better? Charlie Kaufman takes this simple idea and weaves a phenomenal story around it, mixed with cautionary wisdom and a stack of bewildering fragments of memory.

Essentially, we follow Joels journey as he goes from dumped wallflower to desperate romantic, trying to cling on to the last vestiges of a love he can only see the value of after it’s gone. The script is perfectly balanced. Just the right amount of pathos, achingly complex characters and a web of lies and erased memories that stretches all the way up to the top of the mind wipe company itself, Lacuna. The dialogue is fun, real and best of all, endearing. You really care for these characters, sympathise with them and yet can’t believe the lengths they all go to to try and find, keep or lose love. The structure is bang on and paced with a tempo that borders on melodic.

So, what did I learn from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND?

Firstly, Clementine is, for me, a stunning piece of character writing. Complex, broken, endearing, fun, dangerous (and that’s just when she’s drunk) and best of all, heart achingly adorable. Broken down into shattered events, she is both believable and understandable in all of them. To keep that character work across such a dizzying platform of storytelling is an exercise in writing greatness. Study, absorb, learn.

Secondly, Charlie Kaufman has written a story from the perspective of a fracturing landscape of memories inside a characters mind. At the very least, this is a fantastic angle to tell a story from and should be read as inspiration alone. Good luck to those who follow! (Though I’m definitely going to try this with a short story some time soon ). Second to none.

Finally, the transitions written within the ADs (between memories) is handled in a smart and clear manner here. The jumps are at times clear cut, others stumbled into. But it takes the step of saying that you can jump between moments and places as abruptly as you like…if it works within the context of the script. So why not play around?

Still a little teary eyed from the ending (and most likely going to watch it before the week is out), this is a true original and another essential, heartwarming read. Cannot recommend enough.

Link to the script;

https://thescriptsavant.com/.../Eternal_Sunshine_Of_The...