Romantic drama with elements of fantasy “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) is a masterpiece of world cinema, the winner of the Oscar for best original screenplay and one of the most beautiful films about relationships. The inimitable comedian Jim Carrey and the always aristocratic Kate Winslet played completely uncharacteristic roles in this film, proving once again that talent has no limits. Every scene with the main character carries amazing drama. Joel’s despair is so plausible that it is impossible not to believe in what is happening. Clementine is the main character, the role of which was incomparably played by Kate Winslet – eccentric, impulsive, charming. She captivates from the first frame.
What is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind about?
The plot of the film is a little confusing, but all the more interesting. If you understand the storyline, it is easy to understand what the meaning of the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is. So, this is a film about the history of the relationship between Joel Berish and Clementine Kruczynski, who meet one day on a deserted beach and never part. From the very beginning, young people, so different from each other, it seems that they have known each other for a thousand years. Cheerful Clementine turns the life of a lonely melancholic into a chain of bright events. They decide to live together, spend all their free time next to each other, and gradually the extravaganza of their relationship begins to slowly fade.
Visits to friends and joint dinners no longer evoke violent emotions, everything becomes ordinary, begins to annoy. Perhaps the success of the film is precisely due to the fact that each of us knows these feelings. Anyone who has gone through the experience of a long-term relationship is familiar with this phase. Irritation grows, petty nitpicks appear, and now Clementine’s brightly colored hair, which the withdrawn Joel liked so much at the very beginning, is bewildering. How can you be so preoccupied with your choice of color when terrible things are happening in the world? Clementine, in turn, suffers from the fact that she has to cheat on herself next to her partner. Always ready to go to Boston or New York in the middle of the night, completely devoid of stereotypes, breaking the stereotypes of the idea of a quiet family nest, Clementine adapts to Joel.
She tries to moderate her ardor, but the secretiveness, isolation, melancholy of her partner puts pressure on her. One day, after a major quarrel, the girl turns to the Lacuna agency, where her memories of Joel are erased from her memory. Everything that was connected with the beloved ceased to exist. Including the unbearable pain of parting. During the procedure, technician Patrick falls in love with Clementine, and they begin a romantic relationship. When Joel finds out what his lover has done, he falls into despair. The protagonist also decides on a procedure to remove memories, but everything did not go according to plan. The memories turn out to be so meaningful to Joel that his brain doesn’t want to get rid of them. Introduced into an artificial dream, wandering through the labyrinths of his own subconscious, Joel realizes that he is making a mistake.
One after another, all the happy moments that connected him with Clementine flash before him, and are sent for removal. The protagonist realizes that he does not want to part with memories and is actually not ready to lose a friend whom he loves with all his heart. But the drama is that he can’t wake up. The choice has been made. Memorable footage disappears from the newsreel of their relationship. During the long night that Joel’s memory is being removed, many things happen, both real and fantastic. The morning awakening of the hero was supposed to put an end to it. But that did not happen. What is the meaning of the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” becomes known in the finale.
The meaning of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Joel wakes up but doesn’t feel light. He is constantly oppressed by some unknown feeling; he is looking for Clementine but does not realize it. After all, it is impossible to erase from the memory what is deep in the heart. Who seeks, he will surely find. The couple will meet again soon. If their relationship had not been predetermined, the probability of such a meeting in a huge city would tend to zero. But they were looking for each other on the same level known to them. Joel and Clementine reacquaint themselves, form a romantic relationship, re-immerse themselves in an atmosphere of carefree joy. Everything works out perfectly, until one day the audio recordings left by them at the Lacuna company during the memory removal procedure fall into their hands.
Clementine learns everything that Joel thought about her by the end of their life together. And Joel, accordingly, hears Clementine’s confessions. These words hurt partners in the heart. They do not remember how they made confessions, but they understand that with the further development of their current relationship, everything will end that way. The truth turns out to be incredibly cruel and the first desire of the partners is the desire to leave each other. But this gives rise to a new wave of pain, because they are in love and cannot lose each other again.
The romantic drama ends well. Partners choose life. With its troubles, full of not only beautiful moments, but also boring everyday life. The couple chooses the truth and boldly starts the relationship anew, knowing that not only fireworks of bright events await them. Michel Gondry’s directorial intent is fully revealed in the final dialogue between Joel and Clementine.
Write in the comments your meaning of the film Shine of the Spotless Mind. We look forward to waiting!
