Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This is one of my top five favorite films and my favorite love story.  Most people I've talked to who've actually seen the movie look at me weird for saying that because on the surface it's very bleak and honestly depressing.  It doesn't have the straightforward happily ever after ending that you normally get in romance movies.  And that's the point.  The purpose I see in the ending of this film is that there is no ending necessarily.  It's them repeating the process over and over again but the last shot we see repeating is both Joel and Clementine enjoying the happiness in their relationship.  I feel that this movie is almost a test of showing someone's self awareness.  I understand movies, especially romance films, serve as escapism for their target audience where they don't want to get reminded of the realities of love and life.  Where if there are problems, they all work out perfectly with an ending that says on the nose, everything will be okay and implies that nothing bad will ever happen again.  But this film doesn't do that.  To me it does say that everything will be okay but it will only be okay once you truly accept life on its terms and you take the good with the bad.  

The story begins with Joel and Clementine erasing each other from their memories as an impulsive decision and reaction to forget the issues they dealt with, with each other.  But through the time of seeing Joel relive through his memories with Clementine back to the beginning of them meeting you see how much more existed that he wishes he could keep because they were good memories.  Now one of the takes I've heard with the ending is that it's a personal hell of the couple as they continuously go through erasing each other's memories and then meeting over and over again and repeating the process.  But I see it as maybe they aren't erasing their memories over and over again but rather they learn to work through their problems so they can continue more times of happiness with each other and create more memories of them running on the beaches of Montauk together.  In the end the way to retaining a loving relationship is through persistence and patience with each other.  That's why when Clementine questions them going through a relationship again due to all the things they say about each other on the tapes and Joel replies "ok" is so powerful because that's them growing to go into it again with knowing what to look out for and try their best and facing these issues together and coming stronger on the other end, just as you do in any relationship when there's a fight or disagreement at best.  You persevere and show patience for your loved one and do your best to remember that you both only want the best for each other and work on together whatever it is that may be holding your happiness up.

Every time I see this movie, I get something new from it and it has become a tradition to watch it every Valentines Day, as it takes place on that day.  This time the main thing I caught was the thought and question of how much Patrick, Elijah Wood's character, was actually stalking Clementine.  I noticed that when Joel confronts Clementine at her work after she erases him from her memory, Patrick just happens to come in so quickly after Joel gets there seeming like he wasn't there long at all but maybe Patrick was just waiting there on the side.  Or even later on when he runs into her at her home after she's been ghosting Patrick for a few days when Joel and her reconnect.  Of course you know he doesn't have lines or boundaries like most in that he stole her underwear while they were erasing her memory of Joel.  But it makes the line where Clementine says about the stalker handbook being even more funnier but at the same time not seeming so random as maybe by that point in the chronology of the story, she's questioned Patrick being a stalker and being more wary of him.

Besides that, this movie is a top tier movie for me as it excels in every department besides the story and directing that I've discussed but also the acting with this being some of the best roles for the actors involved, especially Jim Carrey and Mark Ruffalo.  The cinematography is mesmerizing, especially in the memory sequences as they're being erased.  The editing with how well the scenes come together especially between the two timelines being shown.  The costume and makeup design, especially with the visual storytelling with the changing of Clementine's hair color showing the health of the relationship and relating it to the seasons.  And more I'm sure I'm not mentioning but are great on a subconscious level that I can feel with every viewing of this film.  As with any of my favorites, I'd recommend this one to everyone to see as its interesting concept I feel is what makes it a timeless classic that can be enjoyed forever.