Films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
12 picks with a similar feel
What defines Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Emotional and otherworldly: an inventive sci-fi film, heavy rather than light. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of self-destruction, troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem, plus tags such as relationship problems, brainwashing and deja vu.
Here are 12 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
- 1
Her (2013)
Film7.9Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and love against the odds. Common ground: heartbreak, love.
- 2
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Film6.8
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: heartbreak, regret, amnesia.
- 3
Videodrome (1983)
Film7.3Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: brainwashing.
- 4
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Film7.5Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and emotional, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem and love against the odds. Common ground: amnesia, love.
- 5
I Origins (2014)
Film7.6
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem and love against the odds.
- 6
Mr. Nobody (2009)
Film7.9
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of love against the odds.
- 7
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Film6.8
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and emotional, with themes of love against the odds.
- 8
Arrival (2016)
Film7.6Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and emotional, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: heartbreak.
- 9
The Vow (2012)
Film7.2
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also emotional and slow-burning, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem and love against the odds. Common ground: amnesia.
- 10
Dark City (1998)
Film7.3Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: memory.
- 11
It Ends With Us (2024)
Film7.2Easier to follow
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also emotional and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and love against the odds. Common ground: love.
- 12
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Film7.4Darker
Why it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Also weighty and inventive, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: memory.
Boxlist compares Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
- Picks with a similar feel include Her, Vanilla Sky, Videodrome and The Butterfly Effect. Each shares part of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 12 films.
- How are these films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind chosen?
- Boxlist compares Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.