Genius and inspiring

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2013)

Emotionally withdrawn Joel Barish and dysfunctional free spirit Clementine Kruczynski strike up a relationship on a Long Island Rail Road train.
They are inexplicably drawn to each other, despite their radically different personalities. Although they apparently do not realize it at the time, Joel and Clementine are in fact former lovers, now separated after having spent two years together. We learn that after a nasty fight, Clementine hired a New York firm to erase all memories of their relationship. Upon discovering this, Joel is devastated and decides to undergo this same procedure himself. However, while unconscious and having these same memories erased, he rebels, realizing he wants to hold on to his memories of Clementine and himself after all. Much of the film takes place in Joel's mind as he struggles to preserve at least some memory of his love for Clementine. In the end they are drawn together despite their forgotten history.