Eternal Spotlight on the Sunshine Mind

We went to a matinee of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this afternoon. I’ve read some people’s comments about the ending—how it’s a powerful statement of love. I guess so. More captivating to me were those moments when Jim Carrey’s character is trying so desperately to hang onto his memories as they’re being erased. It was this—and not necessarily the ending—which was the true statement of love. I liked the scene in the book store where he’s talking to Kate Winslet’s character and the books are turning blank and evaporating. Obviously his decision to erase his memories was misguided and hinted of revenge because she had done the same. Looking back at the movie, my only wish is that instead of spending most of the movie in the erasure and having him reunite so soon with Winslet, I’d have liked to see a longer aftermath of the procedure—time spent in the current moment where they’re grappling with shadows of half-memories and figments from the past.

It was a good movie. I highly recommend it. I’m just glad the movie was still playing here because I’ve wanted to see it.