<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $20 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $72.3 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American science fiction romantic comedy film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry . It follows an estranged couple who have erased each other from their memories, then, started dating again . Pierre Bismuth created the story with Kaufman and Gondry . The ensemble cast includes Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson . The title of the film is a quotation from the 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope . </P> <P> The film uses elements of the psychological thriller and a nonlinear narrative to explore the nature of memory and romantic love . It opened in North America to wide acclaim on March 19, 2004, and grossed over $70 million worldwide . It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Winslet received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress . The film developed a cult following in the years after its release and many critics now regard it as one of the greatest films of the 21st century . </P>

What is eternal sunshine of a spotless mind about