Hope my research and ideas can offer some new insights! What were your thoughts and ideas around Eternal Sunshine? I would love to discuss! Let me know below!
Hi I'm new to your channel RU-vid algorithm landed me here Not a huge fan of the movie before Probably because I knew thinking about this movies depth would take effort But I'm glad to hear your explanation Because social commentary done right is magical Just a side note taken from arguably the worst Star Trek movie Number 5 When Spock's half human had a psychic ability to reach inside another person's deepest pain and help alleviate them from it Kirk comments when resisting this procedure is that he needs his pain It's part of what makes him human Spotless did a much better exploration of this theme And I agree 💯 Ups and downs have made me who I am
This movie is the more sophisticated and detailed visual representation of the saying "people don't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them FEEL"...
Great explanation. I would like to also add something I noticed that I don’t see mentioned in other sources- I believe that the plan to hide Clem in Joel’s deepest and most painful memories is the key to why the cycle is broken in the end. I know that some say the ending is ambiguous and up to your own perception, but I believe the cycle has definitely been broken. In hiding Clem within his most dark and painful memories, they had no choice but to delete them entirely. These memories contributed significantly to the mental health issues of Joel throughout the rest of his life and his inhibitions as a person. Had this not happened, I do not believe that Joel would have even ran into the hallway to stop Clem, it would just be too out of character, but instead he seems like a completely different person by the end of the movie. Also, it stands to reason that despite us having not seen the procedure done upon Clementine, it is still incredibly likely that she did this as well in an attempt to hide Joel within her deepest memories an insecurities. It’s possible she decided she didn’t want to forget Joel either, and it stands to reason she could have followed the same process Joel did while he was dreaming to save him in her own mind as well. So I believe by the end of the movie they actually are much more healed and honestly might not even remember some of their most damaging memories that caused their mental health issues that lead to the cyclical and inevitable downfall of their relationship. That was their fate, was to keep doing this until they were healed to spend the rest of their lives together.
Wow! This seems so likely! I’ve often wondered how clementines procedure went & wouldn’t that of made an amazing film along side this one, but probably a bit too complicated to make. Love your post
Great comment but you're ommiting one huge thing. The very last thing you see is Joel and Clem playing in the snow. Then you see the same thing again. And then again a third time. Signifying that Clem is always gonna inevitably make the impulsive decision to erase Joel and vice versa but they still keep coming back to each other because their soul connection that can never be erased
As you said at 13:38 - Mary still has feelings for Howard. It's not just a crush, she ADMIRES him. I think that is a big part of the movie. People like Clem and Joel and all other patients of Dr. Howard come to him to get the memory of a "person" erased, and with it hope to get their feelings erased too. But I believe that you cannot erase feelings. In case of Mary, it was admiration. For Joel and Clem, it was love. So subconsiously, that feeling stays forever, even after the procedure. And since after the procedure the person forgets with whom they should associate that particular feeling, they feel helpless and confused. This is showcased when we see Clem in the middle of the movie crying and anxious when she calls Patrick. Also when Mary kisses Dr. Howard she is confused as to why she did it.
I love this explanation! I think it's resonated with me the most. They feel something is off, or different, but they can't explain why. The first time I watched this, I didn't fully understand why people were rooting for them to be together, because there was such a large focus on everything that went wrong (until the end). But I think what really hit for me was that even with their memories of each other being erased and being in a different environment, they still fell in love all over again.
Meet me in Montauk is my fav quote of all time. Out of context it means nothing but in context it hits you like a falling piano. This is in my top two favorite movies of all time (Vanilla Sky the other, check it out if you haven't its right up your alley if you like ESotSM). I sometimes wonder if my repeated watching of it manifested a relationship that was almost exactly the same as Joel and Clem's. I met an impulsive crazy beautiful multicolored haired girl on a beach. I moved in with her the very next freaking day ffs. We also lasted two years like them and had a relationship arc almost exactly the same as well. We kept in touch often for a while afterwards and then one day for no reason at all, she erased me. Not literally of course, but she just cut off all communication when it was her that was mostly the one previously keeping it going. I know the point of the movie is that you shouldn't erase your memories but I truly don't care I would erase her in a heartbeat if I had the chance. And probably would immediately regret it once inside my head just like Joel 🤣 I know pain catalyzes growth but the pain I've felt in life far outweighs the growth I've had because of it. Vanilla Sky is the same way in a sense. The moral is to stay out of your head and dreams and live a real life but put my ass to sleep forever and let me dream sweet dreams plz and ty! Then I can be who I want to be and with whom I want to be once more.
This film makes me think of a girl I knew long ago. We met on a beach and also spent our last night on a beach and I never forgot her. It wasn't an up and down, toxic relationship like Joel's and Clem's though. She was sweet and we were really good friends. I'll always keep her in my memory and in my heart.
@@lucyqy No. I haven't heard from her in a while. I found out through a mutual friend that she moved down south. Everyone says we would've made a wonderful couple but it just wasn't in the cards for us I guess. Last we spoke she told me she'd love me always and forever and I told her the same. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday and see what happens.
@@Mirat19 Thanks for this kind reply. That's nice of you to say. Even though we haven't seen each other in a while people still call her the love of my life. Maybe fate will bring us together again in the future. Her name was Brooke and I'll always love her. Thanks again for your advice and kind words. Peace to you!
@@josebro352 If you're destined to meet again, trust that it will happen. Some people are simply meant to be together, and nothing can change that. I hope you and Brooke are among those fortunate ones. ❤️
I feel this movie is about our own spiritual path. Remembering who you are. Merging the opposites of your mind. Left & Right brain. Male & female. Absolutely beautiful
I really liked your video, it brought me a lot of new insight! One opinion i would like to add, is that you covered the idea of how their true love breaks the boundaries of the procedure, but i think the movie also asks the question "what is true love?" We see that joel and Clementine's love is strong so much so they remember each other, but we see that they weren't happy. Were they just hopelessly clinging onto the past, the one thing they're familiar with? Or were they genuinely happy and just gave up on their relationship too soon when things got ugly? Is it true love if you feel unhappy but still try to be together? Is it selfish to keep each other in this endless loop? Or is it good since you're making them feel safe and excited during their boring life? The movie doesn't answer these questions, it only brings up the situation, showing us that not every love story with a depressed man and a mysterious girl with coloured hair and wacky lifestyle ends with happily ever after... But it also doesn't always end with the breakup. That's just life, and not just in relationships. Sometimes we just can't move on. If someone made it all the way through thank you
I think it doesn’t want to answer it. Everyone should come to their own conclusion. Even if a relationship is in some ways harmful. The positives can still outweigh the negatives and the person in the relationship could feel like it’s a better life with them than without them. For other people this might feel differently
Omg this is so awesome to hear from you because that was actually the funnest part of putting the video together, deciphering the famous quotes. And I'm so glad it deepened the film for you. Thank you so much!!
The meaning behind the film is in the title. It’s really a break down of the reality and reflection of heartbreak, and acceptance and finally coming to terms and finding closure. The importance of the circumstances is that the memory of the person will always remain. Once you finally accept the reality and give yourself closure. At least you’ll always have the memory of them. Aside from the painful ones there’s the good memories. Though there’s a dark side to it. The eternal sunshine of the spotless mind itself as a whole is the entire memory in general. The joy of that memory is the experience. We as people who fall in love go through heartbreak experience the internal conflict before finally accepting reality for what it really is. Once we finally give ourselves closure. Well stop and smile and think about the good memories from time to time. Sometimes the sad ones. As much as we could only wish to erase someone from our memory because of the pain. We as people have to learn to find the silver lining in significance in it all. At the end of relationship like theirs. Sometimes in the end as hard as it is to want to believe or deny. Sometimes we’re just strangers in the end and that can be difficult to take in, but once we finally find the strength to understand and let go. We will always have the memory and that’s the joy of it. It was painful, but at least the experience with this person was shared. Not everybody has that privilege as painful as it can be. Some of the most painful experiences came with just as much beautiful moments. We cross paths with people and fall in love. Sometimes briefly or for a lifetime, but the silver lining is that the memory will always be there once that person is gone. That’s the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. You can choose to dwell on the painful memories or accept and give yourself closure and remember the good memories, and sometimes it’s better to let a person go then to hold on. The memory will always remain. You can’t erase someone, but you can find the bright side to the experiences you shared in memory.
Excellent review! So many other reviews hypothesize that the procedure will be repeated over and over. But I see that Joel began to share intimacy and Clem decides “to enjoy” their time together. Good job on sharing your insights.
yu know, I remember seeing this in theaters with a friend of mine when i was about 22. Hated it at the time but now I absolutely love it. And other movies by the same director. Such perfect use of sounds/music in so many scenes. Jim Carey really can act
Ohh..Woww Lucas, It's a flawless explanation of this seem to be CMPLICATED movie (for me tbh) The way you broke it down in the form of themes is just AMAZING! I appreciate your efforts while deciphering the famous quotes for all of us which is by far the crucial aspect of this film. I have watched this movie yesterday and was looking for someone who could help me understanding the nuances and then your video came as a blessing for me❤️ I am greatful to you man! I need to re-watch some scenes again now.
Just saw this movie on a flight back from Dubai to NY.So many laayers to this movie and beautifully executed.Hats off to you for this thoughtful and insightful analysis of this movie.Subscribed.
You thought deeply about the name of Kirsten Dunst's character like "Mary, Marry, Marriage" while I not so deeply did the same thing when watching the movie except it was "Mary, who previously played Mary-Jane, is currently smoking Marijuana 🤯"
Just wanted to comment on how your beautiful use of language made this so special for me. The language often gets missed in the critique of RU-vid videos but when you see it done so expertly it needs to be recognised. I’m really not a language fascist but i do love when folks follow the rules.
Awesome analysis, really made me retroactively appreciate all those subtle details. Similar to Kaufman's Synecdoche, NY which I swear took 3 viewings and many video essays to digest lol. But it felt great finally clicking with it. ALSO I couldn't help but think about the song "Memory Machine" by Dismemberment Plan, with the line "someday I'm telling you, they'll make a memory machine to wax our heart to a blinding sheen to wash away the grief"
Thank you!! I’ve actually never seen Synecdoche New York, but I think I’m gonna add it to my classics list. It’s not the first time I’ve heard praise for its fascinating complexity. And I’ve never heard that song either, but yeah, those lyrics do totally capture the idea and concept of the film, strikingly similar haha and thank you for watching! It’s so nice to get back to discussing the classics with art and film fans!
@@lucasblue20 For sure!! And nice, I think it's totally up your alley. His writing can be very cynical, but in a way that's intentionally hilarious, kind of like Ari Aster with Beau! Also notable is the collab with Philip Seymour Hoffman, who just elevated everything he was in. I wonder if that song was in any way an inspiration for the film since it's from 1999? The lyrics always struck a chord with me, interesting how it seems like a logical idea to a grief stricken heart, but the film reveals you're killing the hidden joy along with the pain. Very nourishing food for thought, keep up the great work!
Great analysis! I agree with the person saying you must see Synecdoche, New York. It's my favorite movie, but too few people seem to appreciate it, or have even watched it.
I love the way you explained this. I just watched this movie for the first time and watched it 3 times in 3 days. Yet felt I was still missing things and you made me love the movie even more I know you mention two movies in your video. But do u know any movies similar to this. I highly doubt I’ll find one
I really like your analysis. I just saw The channel the Take take a stab at it as well. This movie made me think it’s so very human to want to erase an ex and sometimes it’s the way forward but this movie makes you reconsider that your memories are necessary the good , the bad the indifferent . Without memory who are you ?
decided to watch this movie bc it’s the name of ariana grande’s new album LOL so glad i watched it though, and amazing explanation!!! it’ll be interesting to see if the album has any more connections to this movie!!!
I actually really like a lot of Ari’s music so I’ll be listening to Eternal Sunshine, and it’d be cool to hear some tie-ins with this for sure 🤞🏾 and thanks so much for watching, super glad you enjoyed!!
I remember buying this on vhs for a dollar at the thrift store and never watching it. about a year later, I had my heart broken and was really having a hard time. I was thinking about how great it would be to erase my ex from my mind. that night, I randomly decided to watch that vhs and I couldn’t believe how similar the plot was to what I was feeling in that moment. Pretty cool and kinda creepy lol.
I like how i would always comment on all reviewers of ESOSM , and think, hey , that is an interesting concept , that of Joel in 3rd person ~perspective , it explains why i watch alot of reviews and rewatch the movie endlessly. think foreward , good idea
Nitpick coming. They erase Joels memories from most recent backwards to their 1st meeting. About 5 minutes into the procedure, Joel would not remember the company is erasing Clementine and try to prevent them from doing it by placing Clementine in other memories. The part where he knows who they are and what they are doing would be erased first, since their procedure involves erasing Clentine specifically. 5 min in, that memory would be gone, and he wouldnt know who they are or whats going on.
Joel isn't sad because he find out that Clem erased him. This is the golden line. That rarely happens. Joel listened Clem's tape, in his car while with Clem, where she describes why she wants Joel erased. It is already heavy to hear from someone you love that doesnt feel anymore the same, but listenning right to your face the darkest reasons why this is happening directly from the other person it hits you whole differently. That is what devasted him, that's what devasted both of them at the end of the movie, and that is what always lingers above a relationship, the things that start to make you insuffarble to your loved one.
I like your take but there is one thing I stongly disagree with. (4:06) I think that it is very unlikely that Clementine has a bipolar disorder. She would have to exhibit episodes of manic/hypomanic behavior AND depression. Usually, the depressive episodes last much longer than the manic. Her being reckless, impulsive, tending to emotional outbursts can -in general- be associated - with the hypomanic/manic episode, but it isn't a very specific symptom. The episodes of mania/hypomania and depression also usually last several weeks or months. I don't think that it fits very well.
A simple thing not mentioned by you but maybe people noticed anyways it's that journal thing . At the start joel said that I don't remember tearing the pages and that's after he submitted the pages as memories to the physician it's a small thing but yeah made me a little proud that there's no comment or it's not mentioned in video.. maybe it's a small thing idk
I've been on a Eternal Sunshine reaction binge so I've watched it repeatedly for 3-4 days. I'm now thinking the "good" doctor had to lay Mary off or something after the procedure. She obviously had daddy issues and whatever forces that attracted her the first time would still be there. How much would it fundamentally change your personality? Was Joel's procedure botched because Huckleberry Hound was important to him as kid, but then he no longer remembered it on the way back from Montauk.
The one thing I still don’t understand is why does Howard let Mary keep working for him even though they had an affair? After deleting her memories, shouldn’t he have just hired someone else?
She most likely had intuition about the place or they were on the same frequency which is why they met up there even though she said it in a dream to him.
