In 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet twist the way memories work
- The surreal 2004 film pushes and pulls against itself like its central couple, brought to life by the unlikely pairing of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet
- Twenty years on, we look back at a film which imagines what would happen if you could erase all memories related to a failed relationship – but then regret it
At the turn of the millennium, uncertainty reigned supreme in American cinema, with the protagonists of Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001) and The Machinist (2004) losing their memories, and much else besides.
French director Michel Gondry was known for his inventive visuals; American writer Charlie Kaufman was the king of soul-searching surrealism.
Together, they made a fascinating if flawed film that pushes and pulls against itself like its central couple, brought to life by the unlikely pairing of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
As Winslet told Liveabout.com: “I have played Ophelia, and he was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” But the two actors have chemistry, and need it, because the film shows their characters at their very worst, yet still requires us to root for them.
