Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine is one of the best films I've ever seen.
It creates and displays moments, scenes, ideas in such powerful ways, unlike anything else.
Story by Charlie Kaufman, Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth, screenplay by Kaufman.
The movie's structure makes for a great analysis, and the plant and payoffs throughout are next level. Gondry's ability to move and balance the story is so good. His mixture of practical effects and special effects are also a blast to watch on the technical side.
For a film that asks about love, connection, loss, pain, memory, experience, we have a perfect Act 2 setup and core question. Can I succeed with erasing an ex-lover and will it do me better, make me happier?
We follow our main character Joel to Lacuna and sign up for the process basically exactly 25% of the way into the film. We have set off to find or solve our main question.
By the midpoint of the movie, we are clear, we know we don't want to erase lost love, we don't want to lose all memories, they are worth the pain. "I want to call it off," he yells, pleads.
A great midpoint. A great moment. It sets us up at 50% through to change course. A new goal. New question. New possible visual of the story's end. Save our memories, save what we still have of Clementine. Run, fight, or hide. Set us up to find out if we can keep this part of ourselves. Set us up to run for it.
Be well.
