Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

You know how Hollywood sometimes make two similar movies same year. There have been movies about volcanoes and asteroids and so on. This is a pair with The Final Cut (2004). The Final Cut told about world where every memory is recorded. This tells about world where people can destroy their memories over night. This is also movie I don't want to spoil too much. It is my one of favorite romantic movies along with Solaris(2002) and Batman Returns(1992).

Joel and Clementine were in relationship until Clementine decided to erase her memories of Joel. Joel doesn't know why Clementine doesn't remember him anymore and has a new boyfriend. Then he learns about operation, which erases memories of person one want to forget. Joel want to erase memories of Clementine after she did same for Joel. Most of the movie happens during Joel's memory wipe. During memory wipe he realizes, he still wants to remember Clementine and starts to fight against memory wipe. Around Joel we learn that things aren't as clear as they appeared first time.

Memory wipe is not well-known, but to those who know about it, it is as casual as hair cut. You might regret it later, but you don't think about it too much. Even to those, who do the operation, it is like installing software to computer. You do initial settings and then let software to install itself.

The Final Cut studied science fiction concept. Characters weren't as important. Characters were well written and interesting, but the concept was more important. This is all about characters. I like how characters have their flaws and feel like normal people. There are no cliché characters and every character has something interesting beneath when scratch the surface. Science fiction concept is there only to tell a story. As are special effects. This doesn't try to look like scifi movie. Most of it happens in Joel's head and is more dream like that scifi. Science fiction concept is studied only as far as the story requires it. Movie never goes to Philip K. Dick territory even though it shares similar concept as his stories. This movie stays as romantic movie.

I don't spoil the ending. I just say that last ten minutes or so are ingenious. You don't see that coming and after it comes, you don't know where the movie will go.

I have postponed this review for ages. This is a great movie. One of my favorites. But for some reason I don't want to watch it. I know I like it, but there is something. After The Final Cut I had to do this, because these movies are so similar.

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