Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I chose the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" because it's been one of my favorite "romantic" movies ever since I first saw it. The story follows Joel and Clementine from the very beginning of their relationship until the end, and everything in between. It's difficult to explain this movie, because things don't happen in chronological order; but in a movie about having your memory erased I don't think it would be appropriate if they did. Toward the beginning, the pair decide to break up, and Clementine makes the first move toward having her memory of Joel and their entire relationship erased from her mind. When Joel finds out, he seeks out the same doctor and insists on having the same procedure as Clementine. The bulk of this movie is centered around the memories that Joel is having erased--- and in the middle of everything, he decides that he doesn't want to forget her after all. He tries to save his memory from being erased while the procedure is happening (and he's practically comatose), so he has to come up with some creative ways to "hide" events involving Clementine in other parts of his brain where they won't be found and thus deleted forever. This attempt is unsuccessful, and the memories are eventually found and erased. However, in the end, Joel and Clementine meet again as strangers, and hit it off immediately just as they had the first (first) time they met. A disgruntled employee of their former memory-erasing doctor decides to send all of the patients back their information involving memories they erased, and Clementine happens to get her "package" while riding in the car with Joel. They listen to the audio tapes they each made describing everything they hated about each other, which is all news to them at this point having met again as perfect strangers. Regardless of knowing the outcome of their former relationship, they decide to try and start fresh again.

One of my favorite scenes happens in the middle of Joel having his memory erased, where he's re-living a random dinner at a restaurant with Clementine. While they're eating, his voiceover wonders if they've become one of "those" couples--- who don't have anything to talk about over a meal, and sit silently across the table from each other. His negative suspicions are confirmed when Clementine unexpectedly (and humorously) starts nagging him about removing the "goddamn hair" from the soap after he takes a shower. As someone who lives with their boyfriend, I can relate to this scene. Not because of the hair on the soap; but because of the animosity that is created just out of familiar things. How going out to dinner, or anything, can turn into a disaster when people are looking for a reason to fight with each other.

I think this movie is unique for many reasons, but mostly I enjoy the honest way it portrays a relationship that is going sour. In most "romantic" movies, the couples go through some totally unrealistic events; you laugh, you cry, they get back together and everything is swell again. Of course, there's nothing realistic about actually having your memory erased; but it's forgivable to me just because it's a creative and interesting idea-- and still completely relatable, somehow. And while Joel and Clementine do end up together in the end, their relationship is never picture-perfect.