It’s tough to explain everything about ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ which is rich with stunning pictures and an innovative score reminiscent of a silent-era soundtrack. Without a sure, the film is loaded with a difficult to follow narrative — though once you start following it, it’s simple — but it’s one of those films that is richly rewarding simply because you can’t stop swooning over the highly cerebral premise and really moving film that it is.
There are some movies that you watch, enjoy, and then forget about as soon as you leave the theater. Then there are films that linger in your thoughts for days after you’ve seen them. You can’t seem to get your mind off of the choices and decisions you’ve made in your own life. Personally, I find “thinking” movies to be the most enjoyable. When I have a lingering sense that I can’t shake off my head, I know I’ve seen a good movie. One such film is ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.’ And this is a list of films that are similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and that we recommend. These films will make you reflect about your life and how you may make it better. Some of these films, such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, are available on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
8½
‘812’ is a film on the craft of filmmaking and, more especially, the dreaded ‘director’s block.’ It is Fellini’s 812th directorial effort, and it is known for its unusual title and autobiographical undertones. The film is a brilliant mix of truth, imagination, memory, and dreams, as simple as it sounds. It is highly introspective in nature and marks a significant break from Fellini’s neorealist roots.
Before Sunset
What makes the Before films so great is that, aside from being romantic, funny, enlightening, and heartbreaking, they are all about us and who we are: love seekers and insecure people who have spent our lives trying to figure out whether what we did, the choices we made, and the paths we abandoned were the right ones or not. ‘Before Sunset’ is an emotive and thought-provoking look at love, longing, and life’s squandered opportunities. It is such a brilliant work that it eventually becomes a mirror in which you may appraise your own past and present by looking into it.
When was the last time Wong Kar Wai made a film that wasn’t stunningly elegant and heartbreakingly human? Chungking Express enthralled me with its profound knowledge of human nature and the vulnerability of human hearts. It only takes a second to fall in love, but it might take years, if not lifetimes, to recover from a breakup. Love and heartfelt issues are exceedingly complicated. So much so that you may be eating jars of pineapple for a month and then fall in love with a woman wearing a blonde wig the next day. Every character in the film is deeply flawed and a pawn in the grand love game. It’s still a lot of fun to watch them fail and get back up. Her is a film that has a special place in people’s hearts because of how it makes them feel about love and human ties. Chungking Express, too, will make you pat yourself on the back for acting the way you did when you were in love and will bring back nostalgic memories. With each sight, you’ll get a little closer to Hong Kong. Wai’s ability to make fantastic films with minimal screenplays never ceases to surprise. At the end of Chungking Express, I wept through grins, and I’m sure you will as well. You’ll never look at the song “California Dreamin'” the same way.
In the Mood For Love
‘In The Mood For Love’ is more than a film; it’s a moving poem. ‘In The Mood For Love’ portrays the intricate story of two simple and fundamentally lovely persons who are entangled together in the ever-unpredictable situations that life might throw at them, with stunning, mesmerizing imagery and equally magnificent, soul-piercing music. Two people who experience the anxiety and allure of falling in love, as well as the excruciating pain of leaving it unfinished. ‘In the Mood for Love’ has so much love and longing boiling beneath the surface that it will stay with you for days after you’ve seen it.
Lost in Translation
‘Lost in Translation’ is the single greatest film ever made depicting what it’s like to feel nothing, or “ennui,” as we call it. The picture has a deft balance of humor, poignancy, and sorrow, based on an exquisitely rich screenplay by Sofia Coppola. Rarely do you come upon a film that stays with you for days. In the instance of ‘Lost in Translation,’ it has been with me ever since I first saw movie — and later re-watched it multiple times. Every now and then, a scene, an emotion, or a word from the movie pops into my head out of nowhere, mostly amid my own periods of… ennui.
Synecdoche, New York
‘Synecdoche, New York’ is a film that is tough to watch, let alone stomach. It is not something that must be comprehended; rather, films like this must be noticed, felt, and commented upon. ‘Synecdoche, New York’ is intensely cerebral and often shocking; it is a celebration of everything an artist aspires to be, but it is ultimately a tragedy, showing the flip-side of artistic ambition, where the real meets the unreal, plunging the artistic mind into the dark depths of uncertainty and depression.
Stalker
You can’t help but fall in love with Andrei Tarkovsky’s dark and frightening world established in ‘Stalker’ (1979), whether you call it metaphorical, mysterious, or deeply meditative. The film is a voyage into the dark alleys of uncertainty, defined by optimism, despair, narcissism, nihilism, and, above all, the search for what is fundamentally humane. Let’s face it, we’re all in this together. The world demands that one’s existence be constantly validated. Tarkovsky makes a subtle attempt in this film to demonstrate the futility of these vindications.
The Mirror
‘The Mirror,’ a touching account of the numerous emotions punctuating the consciousness of a forty-something dying poet, is roughly autobiographical in origin. The film, probably Andrei Tarkovsky’s best, is a masterful attempt to reconstruct a person’s memories. The film is also regarded as a brilliant critique of Soviet society and politics at the time. ‘The Mirror,’ known for its non-linear structure and distinctive cinematography, is still one of the most fascinating works of cinematic art.
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is a cinematic poem with enormous scale and ambition. It asks its audience to not just see, but also to contemplate and feel. ‘The Tree of Life’ is, at its most basic level, a narrative about the process of self-discovery. It is, at its most intricate, a meditation on our life and our role in the universe. Finally, ‘The Tree of Life’ may alter your perspective on life (It changed me). How many movies have that kind of power?
Upstream Color
‘Upstream Color,’ a twisted analysis of love and relationships – how we operate in it, what our love does to one another, and finally how that’s tied to nature and larger schemes of things – is thematically complex and layered. ‘Upstream Color’ is a quiet and thoughtful piece of art that is as much a technical wizardry as it is a lyrical, mystifying, and highly philosophical piece of art. If ever the art of cinema needed an explanation or proof that its mission is far more than mere amusement, look no further than this film.
