Episode 6: Movie jukebox #2

To revisit Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) was a risky endeavour. Is the film, which made such a strong impression on us many years ago, ultimately little more than a smart use of a cool gimmick? Does its romantic conceit now reveal a profound misogyny, or Charlie Kaufman’s trademark bitterness? In this episode of The French Dispatch, Manuela and I continue our breakdown of some of the films we saw together during that idyllic week in Paris when, together with Paul, we essentially took up residence in the French capital’s many independent cinemas in December 2023.

In this episode, the second part of our casual post-Paris film discussion, we return to Gondry’s film, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and to another modern classic: though I still think it is completely wonderful, the Coen brother’s The Big Lebowski (1998) provoked an unexpected reaction in me. Listening again to this episode, I realised my Dudeification is incomplete; I promise I am working on it.

There are still more episodes of The French Dispatch coming up — tell your friends and stay tuned.

If you have any questions or comments for Manuela or me, you can reach out on Instagram at @animus_mag, on BlueSky at @animusmagazine.bsky.social, or by email at contact@animusmagazine.com.

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–Elena