Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to have Clementine removed from his own memory.
But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover his love for Clementine. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew (Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get Clementine out of his head.
What the critics are saying:
"...while screenwriting clever-dickery can be emotionally alienating, here the ideas are infused with soul. The characters are tangy, tangible creations - funny, sad, sometimes unpleasant. They feel real."
- Nev Pierce, BBCi Films
"A remarkable film that can coax a smile about making the same mistakes in love and then sneak up and quietly break your heart."
- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The disappointment I felt at the end of Eternal Sunshine was almost crushing, simply because there were sections of it that were as daring in their emotional directness as anything I've seen in years."
- Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com