Mary mails out all the tapes, and eventually both Joel and Clementine come to listen. Although they're horrified at the things they said - and felt - about one another, especially because to them the relationship is so new and exciting, they seemingly decide to give things a go (or rather, another go).
Having both made their way to Montauk, which itself stemmed from a memory Joel had during his treatment, they receive the tapes thanks to Mary, a technician at Lacuna, discovering that she herself underwent the memory erasure procedure to forget about her affair with the head of the company, Dr. What Happens In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's EndingĮternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, perhaps unsurprisingly, has both Joel and Clementine learning the truth not only of what happened to them, but what they thought about each other before undergoing the procedure. Here's what happens and what it all really means. At once ambiguous and satisfying, and hopeful but with the potential of more devastation to follow, it's a stunning climax that lingers long after the credits have rolled. Related: Is Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind On Netflix, Hulu Or Prime?Įternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has been celebrated as a modern masterpiece since its release, and a large part of that is down to its ending. Outside of its central characters, side plots involving Lacuna, the company who carry out the procedures, then begin to develop and coalesce, bringing everything together in the film's final third. As the story pushes forward, events replay with certain blanks being filled in, and their relationship has started to blossom - again to the audience, but for the first time to them.
Eternal Sunshine plays around with both time and genre, with large portions taking place in Joel's mind. Ultimately, over the course of the movie, Joel and Clementine do find their way back to each other, although it's not an easy path, nor a linear one. Rather than freeing them from the pain the relationship left behind, it only makes matters worse. The pair both undergo treatments to have their memories of the other removed, although not before recording tapes to remind them of every little thing they hated about the other. Directed by Michael Gondry from a script by Charlie Kauffman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind follows Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski, two strangers who meet on a train and then fall in and out of love. The ending to 2004 sci-fi romance Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind brings the story of Joel & Clementine to close, while also leaving their future wide open.