ESOTSM

So I finally saw “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” this past weekend. I liked it, thought it was good. Near great, even. I felt seriously traumatized on the way home from the theater though. My brother was driving, and I felt like I could barely speak. I think the impact was twofold. The notion of memory erasing, especially when it comes to a loved one, is just tragic. The character of Clementine kicked the crap out of me too, but more for personal reasons that anything. She physically reminded me of the woman I wanted most to marry, and emotionally of my last girlfriend. Can I get a super “argh”?

One thing I appreciated most about the movie was the dramatic use of effects. They really served to further the bizarre element of the story and confound the audience, rather than blow them back into their seats, wet themselves with glee, and utter to the dude next to them something like “That is the coolest termatrirobotcyborg I have ever seen”. If nothing else, the creativity of visual presentation in the movie as well as the story was worth the price of admission. Top it off with nice acting all around, and you’re left with a fine piece.

And I love the characterization of the technicians doing the procedure. They could have been whitecoats, but this was so much more interesting…and of course wrong.

—May 04, 2004