I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with my roommate this weekend. I've seen it before, she hasn't.
Major spoiler alert!! Don't read if you haven't seen. Or you can, but don't get mad that I spoil the ending.
Anyway, at the end I asked her how she liked it and she replied, "Oh that was so good! But I wish they got together at the end."
Me: "What are you talking about? They totally got together. That was the entire point of the ending!"
Her: "What are YOU talking about?? Didn't they decide to not give the relationship a try because they knew it was going to end fucked up?"
Me: "What are YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!? They decided to give it a try DESPITE the fact they knew it would end fucked up."
Etc...
We decided to watch the last chapter of the movie again with the commentaries turned on to see if that could settle it for us. Turns out Kaufman made it ambiguous on purpose so that the viewer can draw their own conclusion. Like the very last scene, when they are playing in the snow, they purposely made it so that you can't tell if it is a memory from the past, or a peek into their future. And the nuanced performance with Carey and Winslet was just pure genius if it allowed such different interpretations.
Brilliant! I love this movie more than before. And I like how it has given me some insight about my view on love and destiny. I never questioned my interpretation until Alana proposed an alternate explanation. I instantly gravitated toward the happy ending.
I can't believe Jim Carey got passed over for an Oscar nomination. But good for Winslet and Kaufman.
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Completely unrelated but must be written down for prosterity. Best Simpson's dialogue in a while:
Alcatraaz: ... ain't nuthin'!
Skinner: IS nothing.
Alcatraaz: It's idiomatic... biotch!