I think I was too young when I first saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). I remember I was a little reluctant to see it. I thought it looked unnecessarily melodramatic, depressing, and boring even. But then I watched it, and I really liked it. However, now, in my late twenties, the movie feels different, closer. After many relationship ups and downs, I finally relate to Clementine and Joel, how little it takes to fall in love, and what a struggle it is to forgive and forget.
“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world, forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!”
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind depicts how troublesome love can be. The film, whose title comes from a line in Alexander Pope’s poem “Eloisa,” is about a couple who falls deeply in love, but can’t figure out what it takes to make their relationship work. Eventually, after a lot of pain and boredom, they split up. However, they realize the pain is too much to handle, so they decide to erase each other from their minds in order to move on. But, as the movie shows, sometimes we love someone so much that they become a part of us, and erasing them is much easier said than done.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. It has an astonishing performance by Kate Winslet and an uncharacteristically dramatic performance by Jim Carrey. Not only has it made audiences cry for almost fifteen years, but it also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and has become a cult favorite ever since its release. Here are some of the best quotes from the film that show us that love and heartbreak don’t always go away.
1. “I’m always anxious, thinking I’m not living my life to the fullest, taking advantage of every possibility, make sure I’m not wasting one second of the little time I have.”
2. “Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a f*cked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours.”
3. “I’m a vindictive little bitch truth be told.”
4. “Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?”
5. Joel: “I can’t see anything that I don’t like about you.” Clementine: “But you will! You will think of things, and I’ll get bored of you and feel trapped because that’s what happens with me!”
6. “People have to share things. That’s what intimacy is.”
7. “I could die right now… I’m just so happy. I’ve never felt that before. I’m just exactly where I want to be.”
8. “Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.”
9. “Are we like those bored couples you feel sorry for in restaurants? Are we the dining dead?”
10. “I thought I knew her so well, but I don’t know her at all. What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she’s a stranger.”
11. “I dislike myself when I’m with him. I don’t like myself anymore.”
12. “I’m erasing you and I’m happy.”
13. “I’m lost. I’m scared. I feel like I’m disappearing.”
14. “I can’t remember anything without you.”
15. “You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.”
16. “Oh, remember me. Try your best.”
17. “I don’t want this anymore!”
18. Joel: You said ‘so, go’ with such disdain, you know. Clementine: I wish you’d stayed. Joel: I wish I had stayed, I do.
19. “What if you stayed this time?”
20. “Come back and make up a goodbye, at least. Let’s pretend we had one.”
Bonus:
“Meet me in Montauk.”
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