I was 17 when I first watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), lying on my salmon pink carpet in the dead of summer. I thought it was brilliant, with a cool concept and a shockingly serious Jim Carrey and an ever-more-beautiful Kate Winslet. The second time, I was 18, watching in the basement of my first love, hoping he’d like it as much as I did. He turned to me afterward and asked, “Do you think we’ll ever get tired of each other?” And, not one to be an optimist, I said, “I don’t know,” but added, “I hope not.”
I’ve watched Eternal Sunshine probably a dozen times over the past four years, most recently this past Sunday. There are very few movies out there that I’d consider perfect. Usually, there’s one character that seems just off, or a relationship I don’t quite believe, or some part is shot weird or maybe the music doesn’t work well or there’s that one scene that just doesn’t work with the rest of the film.
Eternal Sunshine comes close to being a perfect film for me. It’s not perfectly shot, and not all of the characters work well. I will always cringe at the relationship between Howard and Mary, but realize it’s necessary for the arc of the film (and I sort of love/adore/admire Mary’s arc so so so so so much, honestly you go bby fuck up their entire careers, get it). But like a loved one, its imperfections make me appreciate it just that much more.
There’s really no other movie out there that so well encapsulates a doomed love story, making you root for the characters despite the relationship itself having already happened and being literally erased over the course of the film. I’m still amazed this movie was initially marketed as a “romantic comedy” because it’s so far from that. Not only is it science fiction, but it’s also magical realism, realism, romance (or anti-romance), drama, thriller, cult classic, and, wait for it, a reflection of life itself.
At least for me. You might hate it. Or be indifferent. For me, though, this movie is like a close friend. The old flame I watched it with was a doomed romance from the start. My parents ended up a doomed romance, mere months after I watched it the first time. My friends are in doomed romances. I’m probably in a doomed romance right now. The person reading this? Probably in a doomed romance. Movies like Eternal Sunshine make you think, “What’s the point? If all this is a doomed love story?” Well, just say “Okay” and keep loving.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) mr. blue sky please tell us why you had to hide away for so long we used to spend nights on my roof counting the airplanes passing by and promising each other of all the places we’d go pretending not to be two dumb queer kids stuck in the same dumb southern town kissing each other through panes of glass reflecting a rapidly burning flame you taught me to dance badly on new years eve and i taught you how to make love not sex but i think we both chose sex in the end sometimes in the story im clem because you were too quiet not impulsive enough masturbating to hentai in bed and attempting to tamper my wild-hair-colored ways or my self destructive drunk ass stumbling home late your back already turned from me and your jim carrey sad eyes bleeding into my old t-shirts sometimes in the story i’m joel too my anxiety spilling over into the sunlight of others watching my lover like a hawk and building shadows in a blue sky even mark ruffalo in his classic scientist glasses can’t save us now but god if i don’t know how we’ll all keep trying
Elisms 