Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Following their breakup, ex-lovers Joel and Clementine independently get their memories of each other erased at Lacuna, Inc., only to find traces of longing that remain. In filming Charlie Kaufman’s complex script, the ever-inventive Michel Gondry chose to avoid CGI where possible in favour of in-camera optical effects (aided by tricks in editing and set design) to depict the workings of time and memory, shooting with naturalistic lighting amidst surrealist flights of fancy. Cast against type as the heartbroken protagonist Joel, Jim Carrey delivers a career-best performance that provides the film its emotional core.

Academy Awards: Best Writing, Original Screenplay

5/2 (Sun): Film talk with Wong Chun