20 Brilliant Mind-F*ck Movies

8. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Focus Features

Proving that he€™s capable of so much more than the rubber-faced comedy antics, Jim Carrey more-than-earned his second appearance on this list with his career best turn in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. With a stellar cast (that also includes Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood), Charlie Kaufman on script duties and Michel Gondry calling the shots, all the stars aligned for this beautiful-but-haunting and intimate-yet-epic movie.

It all centres on Joel Barish (Carrey) and his relationship with Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet). He€™s the quiet type, she€™s a free spirit: they clearly have passionate feelings for each other, but after a messy breakup she decides to erase him from her memory with the help of the company where Dunst, Ruffalo and Wood work. Joel finds out, and decides the get the same procedure.

We€™re allowed to enter his mind as the erasure happens, though, and witness his desperate bid to conceal Clementine in hidden corners of his brain to try and preserve their relationship. It€™s sci-fi meets romance meets non-linear storytelling, and it€™s one heck of a mind-f*ck too.

Contributor
Contributor

Film & TV journo. Quite tall.