Ariana Grande’s seventh album takes its name from a 2004 sci-fi film, which is far less optimistic than it sounds.
Ariana Grande confirmed fan suspicions on Wednesday when she announced the title of her seventh album: « Eternal Sunshine. »
Theories had been circulating for days, thanks to coordinates conspicuously placed in the music video for « Yes, And? » — Grande’s new song and the album’s lead single.
The coordinates led to Montauk, New York, a key location in the 2004 sci-fi film « Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. » (She also liked several social media posts, confirming the title’s inspiration.)
Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, the movie follows the meek, brooding Joel Barish (played by Jim Carrey, Grande’s favorite actor) and the brash, spontaneous Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) as they fall in and out of love.
The story is mostly told through Joel’s eyes — specifically through his memories of Clementine, as he goes through a medical procedure to have them erased. He only opts for this to get even with his ex-girlfriend, who’d already erased her memories of him.
As the lead technician explains, the procedure is technically « brain damage. » But the promise of a « spotless mind, » free of anger and heartache, is too enticing.
Now’s the time to click away if you’d like to avoid spoilers.
As Joel’s memories of Clementine are methodically unraveled, he realizes his mistake — the happy memories are torn away, too — but he can’t stop the process. He relives their relationship in all its beautiful, infuriating, ruinous glory; he falls in love with Clementine all over again. After he wakes up, she’s a stranger. They meet again by happenstance. Neither can remember their history, but they choose to be together all over again.
The disjointed narrative is surreal and thought-provoking, at turns tender and disquieting.
