BiPolar

You're what you love, not what loves you.

-- Donald Kaufman, ADAPTATION

Nordling writes this about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:

The thing is, Joel is only remembering the Clementine he wants to remember, not the real thing. In the Charlie Kaufman films that I’ve seen, the common theme seems to be reality vs. the fantasy. In BEING JOHN MALKOVICH John Cusack’s fantasies about Catherine Keener were just that, compared to the reality of her. In ADAPTATION Meryl Streep’s Susan Orlean was only a figment in Charlie’s head. He never knew the real her, only what he imagined, in his limited experience. To me that is what much of Kaufman's work is all about: living in the real world, instead of a fantasy that does you no good.

The beauty of this script is that Charlie Kaufman nails what relationships are all about. We do want the fantasy, and sometimes the reality is not up to par with what we envisioned.