Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

United States, 2004

Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

Synopsis

From the pen of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) comes the story of a heartbroken man who decides to erase from his mind all the memories of his love, only to find that he wants to keep them after all.

Our take

A fragmented, non-linear look at the elusive and peculiar nature of memory, this gorgeous and romantic, high-concept yet lo-fi/sci-fi cult classic could only come from the genius mind of Charlie Kaufman. Aching and ambitious filmmaking, of a kind rarely replicated.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Directed by Michel Gondry

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Awards & Festivals

Academy Awards

2005 | Winner: Best Writing, Original Screenplay

2005 | Nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Village Voice Film Poll

2004 | Winner: Best Screenplay

2004 | 2nd place: Best Film

Indiewire Critics' Poll

2009 | Nominee: Best Film of the Decade

American Film Institute Awards

2005 | Winner: Movie of the Year

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Cast & Crew

Articles from the Notebook

Scores on Screen. Strings That Tie You: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Jon Brion’s score for Michel Gondry’s film sonically maps the internal and external tumult of a heartbroken soul.

Critics reviews

BBC

Eerie and surreal, charming and tragic, the movie wrestles with the fundamental instability of all human relationships, achieving a wise and powerful vision that is — ironically for a tale about fading memories — unforgettable.

Eric Kohn

August 23, 2016

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Eternal Sunshine is immensely moving for the way it depicts consciousness itself as a constant negotiation of pain and pleasure—the gradual slippage of memory removes essential parts of our personality.

Michael Koresky

June 03, 2013

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In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Gondry] clearly surpasses himself. For the first time he delivers an ending that doesn’t feel like either a cop-out or a throwaway, even if it’s Hollywood to the core. He’s also figured out a structure that perfectly matches the emotional tenor of his theme and isn’t just an amusement-park ride that can be forgotten as soon as it’s over.

Jonathan Rosenbaum

March 19, 2004

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What are people saying?

cin·aes·the·tic's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
cin·aes·the·tic

What Duncan Gray said. Michel Gondry + Charlie Kaufman + Jim Carrey (who knew?) + Kate Winslet (YAASS) = Unicorn (with multiple hair colors) farting rainbows. Lightning in a bottle. Etc. Extra points for the excellent supporting cast and for the ending that isn't necessarily happy and yet incredibly uplifting. I remove my critic glasses in this case and tip my fanboy hat.
February 06, 2020 10:25
- 10
- 0
alf to the rescue's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
alf to the rescue

Extraordinary. Beautiful. Touching. Means a lot to me in a lot of ways.
June 02, 2019 20:42
- 7
- 0
Rafael Fonseca's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Rafael Fonseca

Rewatched. Again. don't think I'll ever stop. i will always feel welcome in every single frame, every chord of sound. love for every single character, for joel, clem, for patrick, howard, stan, mary. for the rain, for the elephants. Forever. See you next year.
May 11, 2020 18:06
- 14
- 0
SalomonV's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
SalomonV

this is probably the best movie I have ever seen, the entire concept of the movie is ingenious and through the entire film you are on your toes hoping that it ends up right. And the ending is so satisfactory. a very beautiful film.
January 24, 2019 17:54
- 6
- 0
AKFilmFan's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
AKFilmFan

A complex screenplay by Kaufman & fever-dream direction by Gondry make this truthful film soar as it explores memory, relationships, loss, and the connections between them. Carrey gives a career best but it's the screenplay and direction's cohesion that makes it all work.
January 24, 2019 17:40
- 5
- 0
June's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
June

I cannot get over how beautiful this film is - and I mean beautiful at every depth and angle. I think one has to see it more than twice to fully appreciate (and potentially LOVE) it. I always get something new each time I watch Eternal Sunshine, and the 'moving' factor doesn't ever falter. The script and the visuals are particularly genius.
January 24, 2019 17:32
- 8
- 0
Pedro Franceschini's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Pedro Franceschini

Every time I watch this movie I still think it is one of the best of the 00's and definitely Gondry's best. Wonderful lines and really nice aesthetics. It is the type of movie you can watch that points both to the melancholic way, but also to the happy one: you chose which way you wanna go each time.
January 24, 2019 16:47
- 4
- 0
nicolecopello's rating of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
nicolecopello

I just loved the cinematography and the storyline, and watching it for the second time really helps you understand some details much better. It was beautiful and touching how pure was their love despite the differences and fights, and how Joel realized how much he wanted to remember Clem.
January 24, 2019 16:22
- 3
- 0