Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - why I love this film
About a year and a bit ago I did a smart thing - something I should have done ages ago. I realised I was spending too much money on home entertainment (DVDs) and so I signed up to UGC's unlimited card, which meant I could go to the flicks any time I wanted, no extra charge. Whilst I have seen a lot of films I would otherwise not have bothered with, there have been a few films that I would have dearly loved to own, and have instead waited patiently for them to come on Sky movies (a luxury I doubt I could live without).
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind probably tops that list, and by a distance. It’s a film I never tire of watching. Why is this I ask myself? Yes it boasts a great cast (Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo) but is, to many people, quite confusing. It starts almost at the end, goes back in time, nips back and forth in time, and then ends up where we started. Confused? So was I the first time. And there are some very surreal moments.
So what’s it all about? Well, Joel (Jim Carrey) is devastated when he finds his girlfriend Clementine (Winslet) has had all her memories of him and their relationship expunged from her memory following a break-up. He then decides to undergo the same procedure himself, when he realises he has not been the victim of an elaborate hoax.
Things however, do not go as planned. As the treatment takes place, Joel realises he does not want all his memories of Clementine erased. His subconscious fights the erasing procedure, and tries to hide his memories of her in the deep recesses of his mind. This is where the film gets pretty weird, but is brilliantly done. Buildings are wiped out, books lose their titles, and the two protagonists are reduced to the size of children as the technicians performing the erasure (Wood, Rufflalo) chase them through Joel’s memories.
Finally they succeed, but not before the two lovers agree to “meet me in Montauk”. And so back to the start of the film, whereupon Joel phones in sick at work and gets on a train to Montauk. The two meet and fall in love, all over again.
But there’s a very clever twist. During the erasure, Mary (played superbly by the very alluring Kirsten Dunst) discovers she has had the procedure herself. Her former lover is none other than her boss, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Wilkinson) who she has a crush on. She is, needless to say, distraught and in a fit of pique goes to her place of work and sends all the companies clients’ files back to them. Joel and Clementine are awakened to their past and reminded of each other’s failings, and are faced with a dilemma.
So what is it I like about this film so much? Well, I’ve always liked stories that have a powerful message. My favourite film of all time, The Shawshank Redemption, has several, which I’ll go into another time. The message of ESOTSM is about memories, and how you deal with them. We all have painful memories at some point in our life, usually when a loved one passes on or a relationship ends. And I’m sure most of us have wished we could have the pain erased. If only it were that simple.
A poignant moment of the film for me is when Joel is waiting in the reception at Lacuna, with all the personal effects that remind him of Clementine. These are to be taken off him so he has nothing in his house that will remind him of her. Next to him sits an old lady who has all her dog’s things. She has lost a beloved pet and finds the pain so unbearable she wants the memories erased.
But in the long term is that the right answer? It is a truism that time is a great healer, and eventually you hold on to the good memories and think less of the bad ones. Even the bad ones can be put to good use – sometimes when I’m out running and it gets tough I remember how I was bullied at school because I wasn’t very good at sport. I’m not one to bear a grudge but “I’ll show those ****ers” is usually the thought that spurs me on.
Life is memories. That’s why we all try to record them on film or videotape. Without them we don’t have much. They should be kept and treasured. Always.
Talking of memories, look out for my next entry - Sun 16th October 2005 is a day I'll have exceptionally fond memories of, for a very long time.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, October 2005
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind probably tops that list, and by a distance. It’s a film I never tire of watching. Why is this I ask myself? Yes it boasts a great cast (Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo) but is, to many people, quite confusing. It starts almost at the end, goes back in time, nips back and forth in time, and then ends up where we started. Confused? So was I the first time. And there are some very surreal moments.
So what’s it all about? Well, Joel (Jim Carrey) is devastated when he finds his girlfriend Clementine (Winslet) has had all her memories of him and their relationship expunged from her memory following a break-up. He then decides to undergo the same procedure himself, when he realises he has not been the victim of an elaborate hoax.
Things however, do not go as planned. As the treatment takes place, Joel realises he does not want all his memories of Clementine erased. His subconscious fights the erasing procedure, and tries to hide his memories of her in the deep recesses of his mind. This is where the film gets pretty weird, but is brilliantly done. Buildings are wiped out, books lose their titles, and the two protagonists are reduced to the size of children as the technicians performing the erasure (Wood, Rufflalo) chase them through Joel’s memories.
Finally they succeed, but not before the two lovers agree to “meet me in Montauk”. And so back to the start of the film, whereupon Joel phones in sick at work and gets on a train to Montauk. The two meet and fall in love, all over again.
But there’s a very clever twist. During the erasure, Mary (played superbly by the very alluring Kirsten Dunst) discovers she has had the procedure herself. Her former lover is none other than her boss, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Wilkinson) who she has a crush on. She is, needless to say, distraught and in a fit of pique goes to her place of work and sends all the companies clients’ files back to them. Joel and Clementine are awakened to their past and reminded of each other’s failings, and are faced with a dilemma.
So what is it I like about this film so much? Well, I’ve always liked stories that have a powerful message. My favourite film of all time, The Shawshank Redemption, has several, which I’ll go into another time. The message of ESOTSM is about memories, and how you deal with them. We all have painful memories at some point in our life, usually when a loved one passes on or a relationship ends. And I’m sure most of us have wished we could have the pain erased. If only it were that simple.
A poignant moment of the film for me is when Joel is waiting in the reception at Lacuna, with all the personal effects that remind him of Clementine. These are to be taken off him so he has nothing in his house that will remind him of her. Next to him sits an old lady who has all her dog’s things. She has lost a beloved pet and finds the pain so unbearable she wants the memories erased.
But in the long term is that the right answer? It is a truism that time is a great healer, and eventually you hold on to the good memories and think less of the bad ones. Even the bad ones can be put to good use – sometimes when I’m out running and it gets tough I remember how I was bullied at school because I wasn’t very good at sport. I’m not one to bear a grudge but “I’ll show those ****ers” is usually the thought that spurs me on.
Life is memories. That’s why we all try to record them on film or videotape. Without them we don’t have much. They should be kept and treasured. Always.
Talking of memories, look out for my next entry - Sun 16th October 2005 is a day I'll have exceptionally fond memories of, for a very long time.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, October 2005
posted by Jon | 9:04 pm
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