Journals

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

It's a film that opens up the realities of being in love. The many joys, devistations and vulnerabilities that follow from being committed to your affectionate other.

Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) had been in a relationship for 2 years before breaking up. With the help of Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) they were each able to erase unwanted memories using technology that he created. As Joel goes through the procedure, the audience dives deeply into his memories of his relationship. He realizes that erasing his painful memories will also erase all those happy memories that he so cheishes. But what if you find out that painful memories are also all that you have of some small ephemeral happiness you once felt; if the lingering ugliness of time and routine aren't filthy enough to blot out the joy of the best things you've done? Indeed, what good is having no sense of loss if you have no sense of love?
The plot is then twisted even more when we listen to the stories of Howard's team, who is performing the procedure on Joel.

The movie's title is from a poem by Alexander Pope.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

The point of the film is the quest for love. How we should cherish what we have in the face of pain and how memories are the lasting cause of happiness and sadness.

Posted by SquallAngel at March 21, 2004 08:44 PM | TrackBack