Memory is an amazing thing. Memories usually make up the best stories told over pizza and beer, and daydreaming can get most people through their Friday afternoon statistics lecture. It may seem as if every aspect of memory has been explored, yet writers Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry have found a completely new take on remembering in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

Jim Carrey stars as Joel Barish, a socially inept man leading an unspectacular life. Kate Winslet co-stars as his eccentric extrovert girlfriend, Clementine.

When their relationship falls into ruin, the couple opts for a memory-erasing procedure to remedy their misery. It is from here the premise of the plot unfolds. Because “Eternal Sunshine” is very Kaufman-esque, the plot is complicated and hard to explain. The first 15 minutes of the film are spent in a state of confusion, but soon iron out in an explosion of realities, making you personally feel like you are putting the pieces of an elaborate puzzle together. Needless to say, this film is not for the casual movie-watcher. “Eternal Sunshine” is evidence Kaufman is really getting into his niche in film-making, and this film exhibits an evolution of his style shown in 2002’s “Adaptation.”

About a half an hour into the film, when you finally realize Joel and Clementine have a past, Kaufman uses a backward timeline to fill his audience in on the demise of their relationship. Because of some tacit reason, Clementine is the first to visit Dr. Howard Mierzwiak’s clinic (played by Tom Wilkinson). It is there that she receives a procedure to erase Joel from her memory. Joel finds out and decides he will also have the procedure.

Sounds simple enough, right? Not even close.

“Eternal Sunshine” shows the former couple’s journey through Joel’s memories with Clementine. Joel is conscious in his subconscious as the procedure happens, and he realizes he doesn’t want to forget Clementine. Kaufman uses these memories to cue his audience into the perfection of Joel and Clementine’s unlikely relationship and proves that the clich‚ “opposites attract” has never been more true.

Winslet and Carrey seem unlikely picks for these roles, and chemistry between their characters seems out of the question. But, nevertheless, Winslet and Carrey rise above the likes of “The Majestic” and “Titanic” and perform very well in their unique roles.

Barely worth mentioning are the parts of Patrick and Mary, played by Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst. The two characters are assistants to Dr. Mierzwiak, and their side antics mostly seem to detract from the film’s main objective, seeming awkward in their roles.

By the end of “Eternal Sunshine,” it is clear memory is often taken for granted. The moral of the story leaves the theater with you, and this fantastic film leaves you with an eerie appreciation of your own daydreaming.