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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I was reminded today that I haven't seen a movie in a good long time. So, I was walking home past the movie theater and just on a moment's whim decided to walk in and see one. And I watched this one.

This is another one by screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The same guy who did "Being John Malkavich" and "Adaptation". Once again, it takes place primarily in someone's head. But I think this is one of his better ones because it deals with the almost universal experience of loss after the breakup of a relationship.

Kaufman movies somehow get the biggest stars to become weird ugly insane people. Just wanted to get that in.

Anyways, this is another movie that seems written directly at me. It describes how Joel(that's me!) who is a too nice guy who apologizes to much(me, too!) finds out that his ex has gotten an operation to remove all memories of him and their relationship out of her head. So, he decides to get one, too. And then hilarity ensues.

I think it may have been the giant cinema-sized caffeinated cola but during the middle part of the movie I felt so anxious that I felt like I was going to die of a heart attack. I've got to remind myself that drinking too much caffeine and nutrasweet can give me panic attacks. So, maybe it wasn't just the movie freaking me out as the inept technicians systematically damaged parts of Jim Kerry's brain as he slept.

I know that there's a period of time after a loss where it is too painful to remember the other person. That for a while, it's kind of good to forget them and not even talk about them while your wounded life tries to get itself back together. But I guess the message of this movie is that to forget these things permanently you could both lose something valuable that you'll miss years down the line and the fact that you are also doomed to repeat the same mistakes over again.

I think the acting in this movie was great. I really connected with Jim Kerry. And while I have never dated somebody like Kate Winslet's Clementine, I kind of wish I did.

Maybe I have and I don't remember.

http://www.eternalsunshine.com/

Posted by joel at March 21, 2004 08:16 PM