How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
...
Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope
Joel (Jim Carrey) finds out that his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet)
has undergone a mysterious medical procedure to erase him from her memory.
Deeply hurt and disappointed by the news he has just received, Joel decides to
do the same.
When the procedure starts, he is happy, since the erasing begins with the most
recent memories of them that are full of arguments and regrets. As Joel sees his
memories being deleted one after another, he realises that there are in fact some
moments he shared with Clementine that he never wants to forget. He changes his
mind in the middle of the procedure but it is too late to stop it now.
As the film goes, we see how desperately Joel tries to hide Clementine from the erasers.
He feels that they won't be able to take her away from him if he keeps her in the most
inner parts of his mind such as his childhood memories. However, each time Joel finds a safe
memory where he can hide Clementine, the erasers reach them. While this heartbreaking journey
continues inside Joel's mind, the medical team tries to understand why the process is not going
as smoothly as planned.
The idea for the film came from one of Michel Gondry's (the director) friends, who suggested,
"You get a card in the mail saying : someone you know has just erased you from their memory".
Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry offer a unique story accompanied by impressive performances
by Carrey and Winslet that turns a movie into an emotionally unforgettable experience.