Film Analysis: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

1956 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind character analysis

Michel Gondry’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, deals with themes of memory, identity and love. The film focuses on a lonely man named Joel Barish and his progressively dysfunctional relationship with Clementine Kruczynski. As their relationship deteriorates, they both decide individually to get the memories of each other erased from their minds at Lacuna Inc. Throughout the film, Joel demonstrates to the viewer, that although he is thoroughly unhappy, he begins to regret his agreement to the procedure and desperately tries to cling onto the happiest moments of his life. The scene directly before the sequence I have chosen is a memory of the first and only time that Joel was so happy he could “die right now”; lying on the frozen Charles with Clementine. The mise-en-scéne of this sequence is expansive, firstly illustrating the trivial way people regard memory loss, and then contrasts this to the importance of retaining one’s memories; the good and the bad. Joel in this sequence demonstrates to viewers that he cannot run away from his problems by taking the easy remedy, as trying to deny the existence of negative people will never result in happiness, and especially not when it entails the loss of your happiest memories.

The sequence begins by introducing the idea of the removal of Clementine by the program erasing Joel’s memory. Beginning with a high angle shot looking at Joel and Clementine on the floor, of what seems to be the train station, darkness surrounds the two. They are shown under a bright spotlight with undistinguishable businessmen walking around them. The spotlight effect is more obvious as the camera cuts to an extreme long shot of them lying there, which gives the idea that they are small specimen...

... middle of paper ...

...his growing regret of choosing to wipe his memory, as well as his desperation to stop it. Lacuna Inc. wipes the memories of people, but the procedure does not change the innate tendencies of them. This only results in Joel and Clementine once again meeting and repeating everything in a continuous cycle. With this truth, one can understand how ‘easy fixes’ may seem like the answers to life’s problems, but the sequence exemplifies the enormity of impulsive actions. Unlike Joel, who will continue to visit Lacuna Inc. when things go awry with each new relationship with Clementine, the viewer is given the chance to learn from his actions, and retain the knowledge that one needs times of darkness in order to fully appreciate the moments we take for granted.

Works Cited

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dir. Michel Gondry. Focus Features. 2004. Film

Show More
Related

  • Field Of Dreams Film Analysis

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    Besides an initial voiceover narration introducing Ray Kinsella (Kevin Cosner), his beloved wife Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin, this is the first scene in Field of Dreams, released in 1989 and directed by Phil Alden. The voice-over establishes the expectation of the film as being a sensible story about a loving couple trying to run a family farm in Iowa, and the subsequent scene (pictured above) quickly deconstructs that expectation. While working in his field one night, Ray hears a voice whispering “If you build it, he will come.” From then on, there are no more misconceptions about Field of Dreams being anything but an unapologetic fantasy in which an Iowa farmer mows down his fields to build a baseball diamond where

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of The Movie: The Right Stuff

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    IV. Film Plot: This film pretty much is all about the advances in American technology and how it affected the space race against the Soviets. It revolves around the Mercury 7 crew and test pilots competing with Soviets for the race to outer space.

    Read More

  • Sunset Boulevard Film Analysis

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    “There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!” (Sunset Boulevard). The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder focuses on a struggling screen writer who is hired to rewrite a silent film star’s script leading to a dysfunctional and fatal relationship. Sunset Boulevard is heavily influenced by the history of cinema starting from the 1930s to 1950 when the film was released.

    Read More

  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Movie Analysis

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ken Kesey's award-winning novel, "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", was adapted into a film in 1975 written and directed by New York City native Bo Goldman and Czech director Milos Forman. Towards the end of the novel and film, Chief Bromden escapes from the ward. This scene is conveyed differently in the novel and film; however, there are evident similarities between each form of media. This scene is important to the plot because it wraps up the entire storyline. In the film and novel, similarities within Chief Bromden’s escape from the ward include the way Chief escaped, how he couldn't hear anyone in the ward due to being deaf, and how McMurphy assisted Bromden with gaining his confidence to lift the panel and throw it through the window. McMurphy essentially changed Bromden to help him break out of the asylum and back into the real world.

    Read More

  • The Flick Film Analysis

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.

    Read More

  • Gone With The Wind Movie Analysis

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gone with the Wind is a classic fictional love story that depicts life in the old south before, during and after the Civil war. The book was originally written in 1936 by Margret Mitchell, the movie adaptation was released in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming, and staring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Ms. Mitchell grew up listening to Civil war stories from confederate veterans. It was reported that they told her everything; everything that is, except that they had lost the war, she found that out when she was 10 years old. Though the book was written 71 years after the Civil War ended, Ms. Mitchell did her research and appears to have drawn inspiration from those childhood stories that she was told. This is apparent in the detailed description of the clothing, houses, and everyday discussions and interactions of the characters throughout the book. Though not all historically correct most of what is in the book is accurate. During the time the movie was released, “damn” was considered to be vulgar and controversial and they used the term “darkies” to describe the slaves.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: A Beautiful Mind

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the birth of movies, Hollywood has strived to delve into the human experience and present certain aspects of life to the general population. Mental disorders are just one of many topics that are often explored for use in the media. The film A Beautiful Mind focuses specifically on paranoid schizophrenia, and follows protagonist John Nash’s life as he lives with the disorder. The film details Nash’s presymptomatic life at Princeton University, follows him through the early stages of the disorder, and continues as the symptoms begin to overrun his life. Luckily for Nash, his disorder is eventually clinically diagnosed and he is treated. The movie not only shares the tale of Nash’s life, but also shares with audiences a lesson about the

    Read More

  • Importance of Memory: Lessons from 'The Giver'

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    So all the memories everyone had from the past has now created a world that is today, enjoyable. “Call me the Giver.” (Lowry 110). Quoted by the only old man who holds all the memories from years and years of the past to give to the new Receiver, which is Jonas. It is not just the happiness of past memories holding on throughout lives. But pain is the biggest part of memory that anyone will have to endure. It is not just the mental pain we suffer through, it also could have a pain in the physical body and mind that the elderly man had to be tortured with throughout his life. Lois Lowry is a powerful writer inflicting and teaching in the minds of all and how most important and delicate memory is in the novel, The Giver, and how it must not be forgotten or fade away as it will determine your future and fill the gaps of mistakes individuals have

    Read More

  • Movie analysis

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie Doubt is set in a private Catholic School in 1960s. Sister Aloysius is the principal of the school, and Father Flynn is the clergyman in the church. While the movie deals with some moral dilemmas such as doubt versus certainty, rigidity versus openness and so on, the central theme of the story pivots on accusation on Father Flynn of child molestation. The story has a hanging ending where Father Flynn is proven neither guilty nor proven innocent. Based on the contents of the movie and my own analysis, I believe that certainty plays a bigger role in accusations and I believe that Father Flynn had been falsely blamed and I am also against the rigidity of the society.

    Read More

  • Unveiling Stigma in Shutter Island: A Psychosocial Perspective

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    After watched the Shutter Island, I believe this film is combat against stigma of mental ill.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Shining

    2366 Words  | 5 Pages

    1980. Warner Bros. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Music by Wendy Carlos and Rcachel Elkind. Cinematography by John Alcott. Editing by Ray Lovejoy. With Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd.

    Read More

  • Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) meet on a train to Montauk, New York, where they instantly become drawn to each other. They don’t know it at the time, but Joel and Clementine use to be in a relationship lasted two years and ended with heartbreak. Clementine, who is naturally spontaneous, hires a company called Lacuna Inc., and they specialize in erasing people memories. When Joel discovers that Clementine has erased him from her memories and has no idea who he is, he decides to do the same to her. The process happens when you are asleep, and the majority of the film is based in Joel’s own mind. We see his memories being erased one by one, from the end of the relationship to the beginning. Once Joel experiences a good memory with Clementine, he finds he doesn’t want to continue the procedure, but there is no way to stop it. Throughout the film he tries to preserve at least one memory of her, but he isn’t able to. The last memory of Clementine tells Joel to “Meet me in Montauk” (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

    Read More

  • Forrest Gump Film Analysis

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is really hard for me to choose only three films out of my favorites. After a thorough selection, the three winners of my favorite films are Forrest Gump (1994), Memento (2000) and Shutter Island (2010).

    Read More

  • The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people are very convinced that they have memories of past experiences because of the event itself or the bigger picture of the experience. According to Ulric Neisser, memories focus on the fact that the events outlined at one level of analysis may be components of other, larger events (Rubin 1). For instance, one will only remember receiving the letter of admission as their memory of being accepted into the University of Virginia. However, people do not realize that it is actually the small details that make up their memories. What make up the memory of being accepted into the University of Virginia are the hours spent on writing essays, the anxiety faced due to fear of not making into the university and the happiness upon hearing your admission into the school; these small details are very important in creating memories of this experience. If people’s minds are preset on merely thinking that memories are the general idea of their experiences, memories become very superficial and people will miss out on what matters most in life. Therefore, in “The Amityville Horror”, Jay Anson deliberately includes small details that are unnecessary in the story to prove that only memory can give meaning to life.

    Read More

  • Of Two Minds Movie Analysis

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film, Of Two Minds, is based on real life accounts of individuals living with bipolar disorder. Before watching this film, I had an idea of what bipolar disorder is , but after viewing this film I was completely mistaken. Previously, I thought being bipolar was going from a “normal” mood to an angry or sad mood in a matter of seconds and could be simply fixed by taking medicine. But my previous thoughts were completely wrong and bipolar disorder is very serious and complicated. I didn’t know the severity of this disease and I think a lot of the general public is uneducated about bipolar disorder as well as mental illness. Terri Cheney describes having bipolar disorder as, “Take the best day you ever had and multiply it by a million, it 's like a flu but one hundred times worse. It 's having flu in your mind."

    Read More

More about Film Analysis: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Open Document