by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Why do so many writers cite Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as their favorite movie, myself included, someone please investigate and write it up for like Vulture for the movie's 20th anniversary in 2024 please, thank you
— andibartz (@andibartz) April 25, 2022
If I had any clout, I would answer this question and try to sell the piece to someone like New York Magazine or Vox. But, alas, I don’t have any clout and I’m big old nobody.
But I am an aspiring novelist, if nothing else, and so here’s my own off-the-cuff explanation for why I love ESoTSM so much.
For me, it’s about how well written and well thought out the movie is. And, I think, writers really identify with an element of the movie that isn’t even show in the shot script — Clementine writes a huge novel about Joel. So, in a sense, it’s not Clementine who is the muse, it’s Joel.
And writers identify with how one love can really throw you for a loop and inspire you to do great things while at the same time tearing you up in the process.
There’s a lot more I could probably write if I was being paid to answer this particular question. But I still have two years until the 20th anniversary. Maybe my fortunes will change by that point.
