By JUDITH MCDANIEL

News Editor

Memories create the character.

Meet Joel (Jim Carrey), a cynical, tense introvert spending life, day by day, working, eating and sleeping.

He has few friends, no ambition and little self-esteem. His existence is purely monotonous, and no aura of light emanates from his personality.

Now let Joel meet Clementine (Kate Winslet). Routine has no definition for Joel's impulsive love interest.

Immediately, Joel's life begins to change for the better, as if a candle is suddenly lit inside of him from fiery-tempered Clementine. For once, Joel experiences true love in his life.

Then, the fateful argument occurs, as will happen in any relationship. Less than a week later, Joel finds out Clementine has erased all her memories of him. He no longer exists to her.

In anger, Joel chooses to do the same until he decides during the procedure that his memories of Clementine are too special to lose. He needs those memories to remember the person he was while he was with her.

He returns to unhappy and embarrassing childhood memories as he tries to hide from the people he hired to erase Clementine from his mind.

The majority of this movie takes place in Joel's unconscious mind as he struggles to hold onto the memories of Clementine.

Memories create the person.