Jean-Luc_Julien

Valentine's Day. A day for love. A day for lovers. Or a day when the love of your life decides to wipe you and your relationship from her memory. Literally. And this is where we find the despondent Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) at the opening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But he doesn't know that yet. Neither do we. And the film takes him and the viewer on a dizzying journey to figure it all out as he struggles to remember what he forgot to remember to forget. Sounds confusing? It is. (But no more confusing than waking up one day and the person you once loved and felt certain loved you back decides to end the relationship without explanation.) The object of Joel's affection is the beautiful, impulsive and occasionally soul-searching Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), who seems to change her mind as often as her hair color. But if you think that following her particular hair color will make it easier to understand at which point of time the characters find themselves in the film, it won't. If you're looking for a straight-forward boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl-back romantic motion picture, this baby's not for you. The film does appear to be just another quirky romantic comedy for the first 20 minutes before the opening credits finally appear, but then suddenly goes into a tailspin as Joel grapples with his own deteriorating sanity, reliving the trauma of love and loss in no particular order. Written by one of the most original voices in Hollywood today, Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) brings another twisted, yet somehow vividly honest, film to the screen. Expertly directed by Michel Gondry, who is best known for music videos and commercials, the film manipulates lighting and sound to succinctly create the nightmare and desperation of the characters. The performances are wonderful, surely Carrey's best work, and the supporting cast with young A-List stars such as Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman) and Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) round out the emotional core of the film's sub-plots. It is a film to be experienced with the heart and not the mind. And if it's any consolation: there is a happy ending. Sort of.

The new Canadian film Mambo Italiano could have just as easily been called My Big Fat Italian Gay Wedding. And those who enjoyed the film about the Greek wedding should certainly enjoy this Italian one as well. The film shows the struggles of shy, sensitive, and gay Italian, Angelo (Luke Kirby), who exasperatingly calls the Gay Helpline for crisis assistance. He states that there is nothing worse than being both Italian and gay, since the Italian culture is one built on the macho male image. His father Gino (Paul Sorvino) moved the family from Italy to Montreal in the 50s and still holds on to that old-world culture like left over lasagna in the fridge. When Angelo is reacquainted with his old childhood friend Nino (Peter Miller), who turns out also to be gay and terribly easy on the eyes, the neurotic family antics switch into high gear. Angelo and Nino fall in love and move in together, but the closet they are in begins to tear at the seams. Angelo wants to come out and tell his family. Nino is happy keeping their relationship a secret, since the latter's not only Italian and gay but also a cop, and he rather enjoys the studly image he portrays. Nino also later realizes that he doesn't quite mind checking out the girls either. It's a romantic, coming-of-age, coming-out, culture-clash comedy that serves to demonstrate that old cultural conditioning dies hard. A gay film which is aimed at the mainstream, trying to stay true to its content while not offending the general audience. It's a very topical film at the moment during a time when the US courts debate over legalizing gay marriages. But the struggle to create one's own identity, and accepting themselves as they are, is something everyone can relate to, whether gay or straight, and it gives hope for a more accepting world in which love is embraced over fear.

Love has many shapes and forms and each of us deals with love and the loss of love in their own way. Sometimes it helps to be alone and sometimes it helps to feel the love of another during the loss of someone so dear. Writer/director, Parker Foster, introduces the character of Kyler (beautifully played by David Feliciano) with a tight close-up of Kyler opening up his heart and soul to what one might imagine is some kind of self-help group. In the background, out of focus (both literally and figuratively), is a blond woman ostensibly hanging on to each of his words as they struggle to leave his lips. We soon learn that this young woman is Kyler's girlfriend Sophia (deeply and compassionately played by Gianna Reisen). And there is a third character in the film, another woman, whose loss permeates the film and threatens to end the couple's relationship. The title itself is misleading because it sounds like it might just be another generic romantic comedy, but the love and loss in this film is initially not at all of the romantic kind and then later transcends romance to become something altogether deeper. The director and two actors are apparently only at the beginning of their careers, but if this film is any indication, there's much more transformative art and expression to be expected in the future.