Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Clementine
Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) decides to end her relationship with Joel Barish (Jim
Carrey) when she begins to feel that it is not working out anymore. This is not
done through simply breaking up with him and moving on. That wouldn’t be
original enough for writer Charlie Kaufman (Being
John Malkovich, Adaptation).
Clementine goes through with a procedure performed by Lacuna, Inc. that
erases all the memories that were a result of her and Joel’s relationship.
After finding out about this procedure, a devastated Joel decides to have the
same procedure done. The majority of the film then takes place during this
procedure inside the mind of Joel as he attempts to hang on to his memory of
Clementine. This science fiction, romantic comedy, psychological thriller takes
an intriguing, in-depth look at the mechanics of a relationship and the role
that memory has in it. Kaufman, along with director Michel Gondry (Human Nature) successfully blend all the
aforementioned genres to create a thought engaging but equally entertaining cinematic
work.
I just spent my Sunday afternoon reacquainting myself with the beautiful and dark world of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There are few films in recent memory that can conjure as many emotions as this does. To do so and be so enjoyable at the same time is a monumental achievement by Gondry, Kaufman, and the wonderful cast.
ReplyDeleteFrom my viewing today, there was one thought that permeated throughout. The idea that if a memory is erased, we are bound to repeat the action required to recreate it. After both Joel and Clementine have all traces of their past relationship erased, they are seemingly drawn to recreating it. The same goes for Mary wanting to be with Dr. Mierziak. Joel, Clementine, and Mary were no longer complete. Lacuna's efforts to improve their customers' lives sent them into a loop that has the the potential for both sorrow and happiness.
There is nothing in the film that I can fault. I enjoy every bit of it. I would say that this movie deserves a hard earned A if I had to give it a grade and is a must-see. Kaufman is brilliant and peerless in terms of creativity (I can't say that I was able to sit through Synecdoche, New York though. From what I saw it was incredibly original at least.). As good as the performances are, it's really the story that stands out as the star here in my opinion.
I couldn't agree more with you Joshua. I also thought, even before Mary and Dr. Mierziak's story was revealed, that if two people are bound to be together, erasing memory will not be effective when they meet again. I think also says that boredom or tiresome feelings of a relationship should not be a reason to end a relationship. This was a part of Clementine's reasoning for have her memory erased but eventually ended up with the same person.
DeleteMy question is do you think that the film says that memories do not play major part in a relationship?
I see where you're coming from in thinking, before the reveal, that when two people have their memories erased it wouldn't be effective when meeting again. It seems like traces of the past would be left around in the mind. Or maybe the bodies would feel an untraceable familiarity to the erased person on second meeting.
DeleteI think the movie gives a little more power to the connection between two people than the memories, but at the same time shows that memories are to be cherished. Joel loved his memories of Clementine and wanted nothing more than to hang onto them as they were erased from his brain. The strong connection may have been what brought them together, but it's the memories that made the relationship worth having.
What did you think about the emphasis of memories vs. innate connection?
I guess I would have to say that the emphasis is somewhat equal between the two. The first scene of the film, a great scene, is a innate connection and you can see how well both Joel and Clementine hit it off. We also see this again when they met at the beach.
DeleteJoel trying to hold on to the memories gives memories a important place as well. From this, I got that memories defined there relationship.