Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an astounding illustration of a relationship's disintegration and reintegration. In my opinion what really sets this film apart is the underlying concept running through it. Is it ethical to erase someone's memories?
Clementine Kruczynski is bedraggled and burned-out from the turmoils of her relationship with Joel Barish. Being the impulsive free-spirit she is; Clementine makes a hasty decision to have her love Joel permanently erased from her mind. Joel hurt and angered by Clementine's decision has the same procedure almost in spite. However as the process is underway Joel soon realizes he's made a mistake and actively attempts to hold on to their memories.
As we wander through Joel's mind director Michel Gondry supplies all the whimsy and magic to envelope us into the surrealist world of the human brain. Imagine the horror of having no control over your subconscious. Your memories being toyed with, or worse obliterated. All the beautiful moments, all that bittersweet love and loss everything gone; slipping away like sand between your fingers. As Joel tries to hold it all together he realizes his fatal mistake. All of their anger and resentment was nothing in comparison to the good memories. It's well worth holding onto that pain to be able to cherish the happier moments. The thing about this film is it finishes on quite an open ended note. By the end Clem and Joel make the decision to give their relationship another go even though they've been given some pretty irrefutable proof that it's unlikely to go well. Yet we never do get to find out the outcome. Maybe this time around they can make things work; or will they fall back into the same patterns? There's undoubtedly a tinge of uncertainty in both of their minds. My way of looking at it is it's pointless making the same mistake twice. Our experiences are very important because we're largely the sum of them. Clem and Joel don't have a recollection of how low they became when they were together. All they have to go off is this one magical date. Although they know that they've been down this path before, they don't remember that their relationship was a whirlwind. It was destructive for both of them. Mistakes can be good for us because we can learn from them. They remind us which paths to take in the future because we know from past experiences which ones lead to dead ends or worse, cliffs. That's why its important that we acknowledge and deal with our mistakes. After all they're really only mistakes if we learn nothing from them. Joel and Clem don't properly deal with their mistakes. They choose to take the easy way out, which is why I think they're doomed for a repeat. The audience never really gets to find out whether things work out. I guess your opinion would depend on the message you take from the film.
What I personally enjoyed about this movie were the characters. To a certain extent life is full of two kinds of people. On one hand you've got the Clementines, out-going, unpredictable and impulsive then you've also got the Joels, reserved, introverted and orthodox. You may not be able to identify with one of them entirely but chances are you'll at least be able to relate to parts of each's personality.
Although a lot of the lessons in this film are quite complex, there's something for everyone to take from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It teaches us that its important to confront the past but also its equally important to be able to live in the present. Your past is unique and beautiful, but the present is here and now. Too many people can't let go, whether it be an old love or anything really. Holding on to the past like that is unhealthy. It stops people from living in the now. Take advantage of the present because before you know it, it'll be just another memory.
Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.
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