-“If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts.” — Adam Duritz

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” brought this old Counting Crows line back into my memory. That line, as well as the film, sums up just what a memory is. It’s not an exact reenactment of something that happened; it’s an individual’s interpretation of that moment. “Eternal Sunshine” had me wondering what it would be like to extract the memories from my head and project them onto a movie screen. I bet I wouldn’t see an exact version of past events but rather sketchy, dark, exaggerated little films. We see what we want to see, and we remember what we want to remember.

Well, not anymore. In “Eternal Sunshine,” a company named Lacuna Inc. sets out to change all that. It offers a service that will erase unwanted memories from your head, so you never have to think about that broken heart or dead dog ever again.

We meet Joel Barrish (Jim Carrey at his finest) at the beginning of this film — a grim, sulky, gangly man waiting at a gloomy train station with the rest of the 9-to-5 pigeons. For no apparent reason, Joel bolts and ditches work, jumping on a train to a completely different location. This is where fate sets in and Joel meets Clementine, his polar opposite.

While Joel is dressed in dark clothing with a dark, sunken winter cap, Clementine (Kate Winslet) sports a bright orange sweatshirt and blue hair (“blue ruin,” she tells us). While Joel wears his insecurities on his soft frown, Clementine confesses hers to the world with each new dye job.

So, of course, opposites attract, and the two naturally fall in love. Then we flash forward to witness the terrible fighting that surrounds their breakup. Then Joel finds out Clementine went to Lacuna and had him erased from her memory. There are several painful moments where Joel tries to confront Clem, only to have her stare at him with no recollection whatsoever.

The only way out is for Joel to have Clem erased as well, so he does. We are treated to the process from outside of Joel’s body and inside his head. We see Joel relive each memory as it is erased, starting with the most recent breakup memory all the way to the first kiss. At first, things go smoothly, but after Joel starts saying goodbye to the great memories, he starts to regret ever going through with the process.

There are too many interesting subplots here to discuss, and that’s not to mention an ending that would warrant a term paper for any psych major. Writer Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation”) appears to have mixed a great piece of romance and science-fiction into a blender.

It’s a thinker’s movie — two hours of pure bliss for those who love to go to the movies to learn something, both about the characters and maybe even about themselves.

For those who choose to write off the rather complex story, there are more than enough visual stimulants to pass the time. At the helm of “Eternal Sunshine” is music video director Michel Gondry. Gondry and cinematographer Ellen Kuras bring the perception of memory to life in truly ingenious ways. Kuras utilizes spotlights on beaches, street corners and bookstores. This highlights one object or person in the scene and gives a darkness to the rest of the frame. But that’s how memories are: One individual or object is in focus, and the rest is so indistinguishable.

Gondry is best known for his off-the-wall techniques and visual style. When his first film, “Human Nature,” (also a Kaufman script) was released in 2001, Kaufman fans screamed that Gondry’s flashy, over-the-top visual feast had ruined a brilliant script, while Gondry fans complained that Kaufman failed to provide a thick enough story to match Gondry’s showmanship.

Here, Gondry shows why he and Kaufman are meant to be. Compared to “Human Nature,” the visual effects in “Eternal Sunshine” are subtle and provide much more impact. As Joel is having his memories of Clementine erased, we see bit by bit of his imagination disappear. He’ll be talking to Clem on a busy street, and if we look closely, we can see the lettering on street signs slowly disappear in the distance. Before we know it, people are disappearing with the sounds of the busy street.

But the most important thing is that we do not notice these effects until Joel does. Gondry makes sure that the audience is too wrapped up in the story of Joel’s memories, just as Joel is, so they are not taken out of the film to marvel at the visual effects.

This film will go down as one of the most creative in history, but it will not be one of the most loved. Such a film will drive emotion out of people, whether it be awe at its technical achievements and performances or anger at the frustrating complexities of the story.

This is not a film for everyone, but it is a film for some. If you have not taken a seat in the maniacal world of Charlie Kaufman, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” provides your perfect chance.