Eternal Sunshine

Discuss what movies Bill, Scarlett, and Sofia, the producers or musicians are working on or in now as well as film influences for LIT etc.

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52FM
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Eternal Sunshine

#1 Post by 52FM » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:33 pm

I intend to watch this movie soon; I think I have a general idea of the storyline; and I'm thinking I better wait to watch it for a while. It was described by Ith as a life changing film for her. (In what way? No details necessary - I jsut mean for the good?)

Did it have that kind of impact on anyone else? This question is coming from someone for whom Pi is shaping up to be an important film. Two sides - Pi and LiT - one often in conflict with the other, rarely in harmony.

So I'm not sure but I'm wondering if Eternal Sunshine is going to overload me at this point.

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#2 Post by I65 » Thu Aug 18, 2005 1:18 am

Hmmm for some reason this post didn't get it's little orange flag that tells me there is a message I haven't read. You've seen the movie in the mean time, and it sounded like you enjoyed it.

This movie definitely touched me in a very personal way, and it was for the good (I think anyway, ask me in another 20 years, hehe).

The okays at the end were probably the most pivotal for me, although since spending some time on the IMDB boards I found out that they were open to more interpretation than I first realized. What they were saying seemed so clear to me, but others took it differently.

For me it was affirmation that although things were "new again" for them, eventually they would get to the point where he would get irritated with her idiocyncracies (sp?) and she was going to start feeling trapped, but that was okay. The feelings that they had for each other, and the good times that they were going to share were worth fighting for.

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#3 Post by silvermoon » Thu Aug 18, 2005 8:56 pm

i like how the movie roots out, among the complications, the reasons why people fall in love in the first place. after a breakup it can be easy to hold a person in contempt, and neglect the fact you were in love once. an ingenious structure for a romantic comedy

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#4 Post by Just Like Honey... » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:37 pm

I just finished Eternal Sunshine about 10 minutes ago...

Amazing stuff!
This is definetly going on the shelf as my second favorite movie of all time.. theres so much more I want to say but I'm too tired right now. But I just love the way the story was played out, and I was happy to discover that the film isn't overacted or too typical (something I half-expected with the highly touted cast).

It really is a life-changing kind of thing to think about, or I'm sure it will be for me at some point. Sure some of the plot devices were farfetched, but I don't think it takes away from the principal emotional message of the film.
Ithildriel65 wrote:The okays at the end were probably the most pivotal for me, although since spending some time on the IMDB boards I found out that they were open to more interpretation than I first realized. What they were saying seemed so clear to me, but others took it differently.

For me it was affirmation that although things were "new again" for them, eventually they would get to the point where he would get irritated with her idiocyncracies (sp?) and she was going to start feeling trapped, but that was okay. The feelings that they had for each other, and the good times that they were going to share were worth fighting for.
I'm taking this to mean that you thought they were going to try their relationship again even though they knew it was doomed to failure, just to rebuild the memories they had lost. The difference is that when I initially thought about it, I was left with the impression that they were simply going to part ways, because they knew that any relationship they decided to have would go nowhere. This paved the way for a sadder ending, then the "okays" came in, which confused me a bit and led me to believe that they were going to be completely cool with seperating then and there.
The way you interpreted it never even entered my mind, but now that I'm seeing it here, it seems more likely to be correct than what I initially thought.

Amazing what you can find out when minds come together :D
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#5 Post by I65 » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:52 pm

*****POSSIBLE SPOILERS*****

I agree that with you that there are definitely different ways to see those okays at the end of the movie, but it was a bit different for me than you described.

I didn't see it as doomed to failure. I saw it more as them realizing that even though they had erased each other, fate brought them back together again for a reason. This time around they new that these things were going to happen (him getting irritated with her, her feeling trapped) but they were meant to be together, so when they got to that point they would be able to work through it with that knowledge.

I don't know anyone that has had a long term relationship where everything was perfectly compatable. You learn to accept the things about your significant other you cannot change, and they do the same for you.

One of the interesting things that I found out on the boards is that in the original script, they erase each other over and over. They were actually high school sweethearts that have the procedure done many times, and keep ending up back together. This is alluded to in the ending scene where they are in the snow, and it keeps looping. I like my interpretation better though :)

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#6 Post by Just Like Honey... » Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:06 am

Ithildriel65 wrote:One of the interesting things that I found out on the boards is that in the original script, they erase each other over and over. They were actually high school sweethearts that have the procedure done many times, and keep ending up back together. This is alluded to in the ending scene where they are in the snow, and it keeps looping. I like my interpretation better though :)
I actually though about something like that when I got to the surprise ending (pardon the cliche)... but before I could anticipate something that weird, the logical side of me kicked in, and I half expected the movie to automatically play again from the beginning as soon as it ended, for dramatic effect if nothing else.
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#7 Post by 52FM » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:02 pm

Ith -
When I saw it, I assumed that OK meant that evn though it was doomed to fail, the fun they knew they would have would be worth it.

I later read the IMDb site and saw something similar - that they meet, erase, meet again etc. all the way through maybe middle age (the last scene was suppused to be them much older going through it again.

In fact, the way Ebert described it I though that did happen. MAybe that was the script and not the movie? Or was there a book? Does Ebert really see all these movies befoer he writes about them?

I like your interprestation better - I thought of that in relation to Groundhog Day - Bill eventually got it right with Andie - why not Jim and Kate?
"Willoughby. Next stop is Willoughby."

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