Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
A surprisingly bittersweet love story at heart, Eternal Sunshine values the sum of experience, which in this case means a thorns-and-all openness to romantic possibilities.
– Scott Tobias,
AV Club,
3 Dec 2009
fresh:
The latest and loveliest alternative universe created by Charlie Kaufman, America's most -- we should probably say only -- intellectually provocative screenwriter.
– Richard Corliss,
TIME Magazine,
30 May 2014
fresh:
The result is a cinematic vagueness that makes the film less aesthetic yet more persuasive. This is how dreams really look: like reality, only less so.
– Christopher Orr,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2014
fresh:
At its core, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind could have been just another love story. Refracted through Kaufman's wonderfully weird prism, it's something truly memorable.
– Christy Lemire,
Associated Press,
30 May 2014
fresh:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind goes by like a fevered dream of love, but one you remember vividly, with profound pleasure.