This month, we’re dedicating our Good Vibes review to a unique, contemporary classic… March 2024 marked 20 years since the release of the much-loved sci-fi romantic drama ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.
Almost everyone has experienced something like it, suffering from a breakup and wishing it would be possible to just forget everything that’s happened. Well, in ‘Eternal Sunshine’ that is possible, thanks to a scientific procedure that targets and erases memories.
Jim Carrey stars as quiet, heartbroken introvert Joel, who decides to have the procedure done in response to learning that his colourful extroverted, ex-partner Clementine, played by Kate Winslet, has erased him from her memory. There’s an argument to be made that both Carrey and Winslet provide the best performances of their careers in this film, which given some of the movies they’ve been in, says a lot about how good ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is.
With a nonlinear narrative, this film twists and turns, staying engaging all the way through, and its emotional and thought-provoking interpretation of love and memory is certain to leave you feeling reflective afterwards. On top of how good the story itself is, it is masterfully directed by Michel Gondry, who ensures that it is visually a pleasure to watch too.
Funnily enough, we aren’t the only ones shouting about this movie at the moment, pop megastar Ariana Grande is clearly also a major fan, naming her latest album “Eternal Sunshine” in homage, and even recreating the premise of the film and borrowing exact shots for her music video "we can't be friends (wait for your love)" which has over 38 million views within the first two weeks of being launched. It’s probably a safe assumption that Eternal Sunshine is about to get a whole new wave of fans and popularity.
Even if you aren’t a massive fan of pop music, we still recommend you check out this movie and better yet, why not Penta Sounds Volume 37: Strangely Comforting as well whilst you’re at it? It contains Beck’s version of “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” which is prominently featured in the film, amongst other great tracks.
We’ll leave you with this… If you haven’t seen this film before, go ahead and watch it. If you have seen it before, watch it again to remind yourself of how good it is. Afterwards, come visit a Penta and make some memories that you wouldn’t ever want to erase (even if it were possible).
Still credits: “Why We Suffer: Philosophies of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” uploaded to YouTube by foxzs
