Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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.
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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
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
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
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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