JOEL AND CLEMENTINE FREE

Joel and Clementine grow within their fabricated relationship, and as they grow, they find themselves confined by it. But Eternal Sunshine shows this next phase masterfully, from bitter remarks about hair left in the shower to the outgrowing of immature quirks once found endearing. That's lesson number one: having stuff in common has nothing to do with love. Most romantic comedies roll the credits just after the big kiss, maybe showing a little 5-minute flash forward into the relationship, but they never go past the end of the honeymoon phase- the sweet little frame of time before you really start to see your significant other for who they are- for better or for worse. At first, the theory of opposites attracting is what holds the relationship together, but over time the imbalance is what leads to their emotional split.

JOEL AND CLEMENTINE FREE

Clementine, in contrast, is almost annoyingly gregarious, with a free spirit and expressively dyed hair. Joel, with his knit cap and 5 o'clock shadow, is untrusting and vulnerable, doodling absentmindedly in the margins of his notebook and internally lamenting: 'Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?'. It's clear from the first time(s) Clementine and Joel meet that they're complete opposites, but each offers what the other needs. But Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind does just that, and it doesn't make it alienating or hard to watch (though sometimes its intimacy to our own lives is disconcerting), it makes it unforgettable and the most honest romance film made in years. Not many audience members want to see the flaws of their last relationship blown up on the big screen, every fight inevitably leading to the heartbreaking mess that led them to the theater in the first place. Breaking the trend of the whirlwind romance is hard when it comes to film- we're always looking for an escape from the ugly truths of life, and a trip to the movies often offer that opportunity.