Eternal Sunshine Day

Today should be a holiday.

Today, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes out on DVD.

Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy

(In classic form, it is pouring today. And I didn't bring my umbrella, so I got drenched walking to class. That's *totally* deep, man.)

Rachel asked me two weeks ago why I like the film so much, noting that I really don't share much in common with the main character. So, let me count the ways...

-It deals with the nature and vagaries of memory. I connect heavily with ANYTHING dealing with memory issues because mine is so fundamentally screwy. [mental note: write a post about your memory issues] I can still remember Hanna Neuschwander's phone number from 1997 and have tremendous recollection of the vagaries of Sierra Club/SSC history, but I have virtually no memory of my childhood, etc.

-I may not relate too much to Joel Barrish (shy, quiet type isn't really my niche), but Clem has real echoes of a high school-aged TW. And, sad as it is to say at age 25, that remains the dominant love story in my life.

-It's just such incredible filmmaking.

-There's a quiet absurdism to the film. It was more pronounced in Charlie Kaufman's earlier films (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation), which made me enjoy them thoroughly, but it is subsumed just enough in this one to make it watchable over and over and over again.

-The opinion it has on the nature of love is dead-on. That last interaction, where she says that he'll realize she isn't perfect and she'll get bored, and he responds "okay..." perfectly encapsulates my personal feelings on love. There isn't a one true love, nothing is perfect, love doesn't conquer all. But we need it and we work through it.

Alright, gotta finish another chapter then go spend two hours discussing books and articles that I don't understand. Happy Eternal Sunshine day, don't forget your umbrella.