Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

INT. PUBLISHING HOUSE RECEPTION AREA - DAY

It's grand and modern. Random House-Knopf-Taschen is etched

on the wall in large gold letters. An old woman enters

carrying a tattered manuscript, maybe a thousand pages. She

seems haunted, hollow-eyed, sickly. The young receptionist,

dressed in a shiny, stretchy one-piece pantsuit, looks up.

RECEPTIONIST:

Oh, hi.

OLD WOMAN:

(apologetically)

Hi, I was in the neighborhood and thought

I'd see --

RECEPTIONIST:

I think he's in a conference.

Unfortunately. I'm really sorry.

OLD WOMAN:

Would you just try him? You never know.

As long as I'm here. You never know.

RECEPTIONIST:

Of course. Please have a seat.

The old woman smiles and sits, the bulky manuscript on her

lap. She stares politely straight ahead.

RECEPTIONIST (CONT'D)

(quietly into headset)

It's her -- I know, but couldn't you just

-- Yes, I know, but -- I know, but she's

old and it would be a nice -- Yes, sorry.

(to old woman)

I'm sorry, ma'am, he's not in right now.

It's a crazy time of year for us.

The receptionist gestures toward a Christmas tree in the

corner. Its ornaments are holograms.

OLD WOMAN:

This book -- It's essential that people

read it because --

(gravely, patting the

manuscript)

-- It's the truth. And only I know it.

RECEPTIONIST:

(nodding sympathetically)

Maybe after the holidays then.

INT. TILED HALLWAY - DAY

The old woman carries her manuscript haltingly down a subway

hall. She stops to catch her breath, then continues and

passes several archway with letters printed above them. When

she arrives at one topped by an LL, she slips a card in a

slot. A plastic molded chair drops into the archway. She

sits in the chair; it rises.

INT. TUBE -DAY

The woman is still in the chair as it slips gracefully into a

line of chairs shooting through a glass tube. The other

chairs are peopled with commuters. We stay with the woman as

she and the others travel over New York City in the tube.

There are hundreds of these commuter tubes crisscrossing the

skyline. The woman glances at the manuscript in her lap.

It's called:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This serves as the movie's opening title. The other credits

follow, as the old woman studies commuters in passing tubes.

Their faces are variously harsh and sad and lonely and blank.

INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY

SUBTITLED:
FIFTY YEARS EARLIER

Every doctor's office waiting room: chairs against the wall,

magazines on end tables, a sad-looking potted plant, generic

seascape paintings on the walls. The receptionist, Mary, 25,

can be seen typing in the reception area. Behind her are

shelves and shelves of medical files. The door opens and

Clementine enters. She's in her early thirties, zaftig in a

faux fur winter coat over an orange hooded sweatshirt. She's

decidedly funky and has blue hair. Mary looks up.

MARY:

May I help you?

CLEMENTINE:

(approaching reception area)

Yeah, hi, I have a one o'clock with Dr.

Mierzwiak. Clementine Kruczynski.

MARY:

Yes, please have a seat. He'll be right

with you.

Clementine sits. She looks tired, maybe hungover. She picks

up a magazine at random and thumbs without interest.

INT. INNER OFFICE AREA - CONTINUOUS

Mary pads down the hallway. She knocks on a closed door.

MIERZWIAK (O.S.)

Yes?

Mary opens the door, peeks in. Howard Mierzwiak, 40's,

professional, dry, sits behind his desk studying some papers.

MARY:

Howard, your one o'clock.

MIERZWIAK:

(not looking up)

Thanks, Mary. You can bring her in.

She smiles and nods. It's clear she's in love. It's equally

clear that Mierzwiak doesn't have a clue. Mary turns to

leave.

MIERZWIAK (CONT'D)

(looking up)

Mary...

MARY:

(turning back)

Yes?

MIERZWIAK:

Order me a pastrami for after?

MARY:

Cole slaw, ice tea?

MIERZWIAK:

(nodding)

Thanks.

MARY:

Welcome, Howard.

She smiles and heads down the hall. Stan, 30's, tall,

spindly, and earnest in a lab coat pops out of a doorway.

STAN:

Boo.

MARY:

Hi.

She glances back nervously at Mierzwiak's open door.

STAN:

Barely seen you all morning, kiddo.

He leans in to kiss her. She cranes her neck to keep him

off.

MARY:

(reprimanding whisper)

Stan... c'mon...

STAN:

Sorry. I just --

MARY:

(somewhat guiltilly)

It's just...y'know... I mean...

STAN:

I know. Anyway --

MARY:

Anyway, I've got to do my tap

dance here.

She indicates the door to the reception area. Stan nods.

STAN:

See you later, alligator.

MARY:

'kay.

STAN:

Hey, if you're ordering lunch for

Mierzwiak, would you --

MARY:

I better do this, Stan.

Stan nods again and Mary opens the door to the waiting room.

MARY (CONT'D)

Ms. Kruczynski?

CLEMENTINE (O.S.)

Hi.

After a moment, Clementine appears in the doorway. Mary

leads her down the hall, not looking back.

MARY:

(professionally courteous)

How are you today?

CLEMENTINE:

Okay, I guess.

MARY:

(at Mierzwiak's office)

Here we are.

Mierzwiak steps out from behind his desk.

MIERZWIAK:

Ms. Kruczynski, please come in.

Clementine enters the office. Mary smiles at Mierzwiak and

closes the door, leaving them alone.

INT. OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Mierzwiak directs Clementine to a chair next to a coffee

table and a conspicuously placed box of tissues. Mierzwiak

sits across from her. He smiles.

MIERZWIAK:

How are you today?

CLEMENTINE:

Okay, I guess.

MIERZWIAK:

(nodding sympathetically)

Well, why don't you tell me what's going

on? Do you mind if I turn this on?

He indicates a tape recorder.

CLEMENTINE:

I don't care.

He turns it on, smiles at her, gestures for her to begin.

CLEMENTINE (CONT'D)

Well, I've been having a bad time of it

with um, my boyfriend, I guess.

MIERZWIAK:

You guess he's your boyfriend? Or you

guess you're having a bad time with hm?

CLEMENTINE:

What? No. I don't like the term

boyfriend. It's so gay.

Mierzwiak nods. He's attentive, pleasant, and neutral

throughout.

CLEMENTINE (CONT'D)

Maybe gay isn't the right word. But,

anyway, it's been rough with him...

whatever the f*** he is. Heheh. My

significant other... heh heh. And I

guess on a certain level, I want to break

it off, but I feel... y'know... it's like

this constant questioning and re

questioning. Do I end it? Should I give

it more time? I'm not happy, but what do

I expect? Relationships require work.

You know the drill. The thing that I

keep coming back to is, I'm not getting

any younger, I want to have a baby... at

some point... maybe... right? So then I

think I should settle -- which is not

necessarily the best word -- I mean, he's

a good guy. It's not really settling.

Then I think maybe I'm just a victim of

movies, y'know? That I have some

completely unrealistic notion of what a

relationship can be. But then I think,

no, this is what I really want, so I

should allow myself the freedom to go out

and f***ing find it. You know? Agreed?

But then I think he is a good guy and...

It's complicated. Y'know?

MIERZWIAK:

I think I know. I think we can help. Why

don't you start by telling me about your

relationship. Everything you can think

of. Everything about him. Everything

about you. And we'll take it from there.

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