My fiancee is on a business trip, but we managed to stay on the phone while watching the same movie in sync. We chose Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, still one of my favorite movies even after three viewings.
There are some movies that I find beautiful, but not in a banal kind of way. ESOTSM is one of them.
The beauty lies in its truthfulness. The story itself is a love story, but not the usual kind you see in the theatres these days. Most notably, the movie ends with the two realizing their own faults and how those faults sabatoge their relationship.
However, as all human beings tend to do, they have hope in spite of such pragmatic revelations. They see in each other someone they love and hate at certain times. But the logic is that love outweighs the hate. Or does it?
Joel (Jim Carrey) is a meek, reserved, and unhappy guy who can’t seem to find his place in the world. Clementine (Kate Winslet) is an impulsive and somewhat irresponsible girl who also doesn’t fit into the usual social circles. Their relationship starts off fine, but fundamental differences in character start to break through their love in heated arguments.
The point of the movie is that, even if we are presented with an audio tape that reveals all the bleek outcomes of a relationship, we would still elect to try it if we feel good about it in the moment. Clementine exclaims to Joel all the bad things that will happen if they try to have a relationship again. At this moment, Joel gives a look of plain “I don’t care, let’s do it.” This has to be one of the most telling expressions in the movie. Clementine and Joel then both laugh (and cry), and start making memories together again.
The plot is simple, but very real. Kaufman uses the act of erasing memories as a vehicle to express the human spirit.
In addition, the visuals are both stunning and humorous. The director was the masterful Michel Gondry, who is reknown for his simple, yet mesmerizing, transitions and visuals.
Another thing worth noting is that this is one of the few movies that more accurately portrays the concept of memory. Unlike in Memento, which viewed memory like a perfect video tape which is viewed linearly, ESOTSM reveals that memory is unstable and imperfect. We see snippets of Joel’s memory that are garbled up, or contain references to other memories that don’t belong. As his memory is erased, we see events being confused, or elements of a scene deleted. Most notably, street signs and lettering are mostly blank. This points to the fact that our memory is a vignette of our past: painting a broad picture of events.
If you haven’t gone to see this movie, go rent it when it comes out. It’s an entertaining movie that you can reflect on.
September 21st, 2004 at 8:14 pm
This is a great movie. It’s actually the film my girlfriend and I saw on our first date. What I liked about the scenes inside Joel’s mind was that they were so very much like the way I remember my own dreams in terms of continuity and themes.
According to IMDB, there was another ending shot which reveals an older Clementine has had the procedure multiple times. Adds a different sort of bleak twist, and the romantic in me is glad they took it out.