The movie Eternal Sunshine centers around the technology of memory erasure and the love between the two main characters, Joel and Clementine. The movie explores the impact of memories on our identity, questioning whether erasing memories can free us from hurt and pain, and whether we can achieve true happiness.
Valentine’s Day, 2004. A man wakes up, his name is Joel Barish. It’s the same morning as any other, but his head feels a little heavier. As he waits for the train on his way to work as usual, he impulsively runs to the wrong platform and boards a train bound for Montauk instead of his original destination. There, on the shore, he meets a woman named Clementine with attractive blue hair. They feel a strange attraction to each other and are aware of each other’s presence. When Joel returns from Montauk and is on his way home, he runs into Clementine again and gives her a ride home. They grow closer and spend a lot of time together.
One day, Clementine comes to get her toothbrush and finds a mysterious package from Lacuna. She listens to the tape in Joel’s car, and to her surprise, it’s Clementine’s voice, telling her all the bad things about Joel. The two are confused. Angry, Joel drops Clementine off at the side of the road and drives home alone. However, a package arrives at his door from the same Lacuna company, and inside is a tape of him talking negatively about Clementine. The tape goes into great detail, as if they had been lovers for years.
Five days before Valentine’s Day 2004. In fact, they were lovers. Clementine gets into an argument with Joel after coming home late from a night of drinking. Joel is convinced and says something hurtful to Clementine, and she packs her things and leaves the house.
Three days before Valentine’s Day. Joel goes to make up with Clementine, but she doesn’t recognize him at all. This is because Lacuna has erased all her memories of Joel. Joel is confused by Clementine’s change in demeanor.
Two days before Valentine’s Day. Joel realizes that Clementine has erased his memory.
One day before Valentine’s Day. Joel decides to visit Lacuna to have his memories of Clementine erased as well. Throughout the night, Lacuna’s technicians erase his memories one by one. And the morning of Valentine’s Day dawns again.
A memory erasure company called Lacuna erases memories of specific people. This setting is what makes the movie Eternal Sunshine so special, not just another melodrama. In the movie, Mary, an employee of Lacuna, refers to a quote by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. “Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders!” (Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders!) In the modern world, if we had to remember everything, we would probably go crazy. We all have memories we’d like to forget, and in that sense, forgetting is a defense mechanism that allows us to live a slightly happier life. In other words, forgetting is an essential part of being human.
However, forgetting doesn’t always work in our favor. Memories we want to forget are not easily forgotten, and memories we want to keep are often blurred. What if we could develop a technology that would allow us to control our memories? If biological advances can fully understand the mechanisms of human memory, we might even be able to use a memory erasure company to completely erase our memories of a specific person, just like in the movies. It’s a topic that many of us have imagined at least once. This raises the question. “Is it okay to erase memories?” And ”Would it make you happy?”
The movie presents one possible answer to these questions through the story of two main characters.
First of all, “Is it okay to erase memories?” Memories are mutual. Unilaterally erasing a memory without the other person’s consent can be a form of violence to the person and those around them. In the movie, the Lacuna company sends letters to Clementine’s acquaintances. “Clementine has erased all memories of Joel. Do not tell Clementine about your relationship!” However, Joel, who does not know this, is bewildered and confused by Clementine’s reaction of not recognizing him. Eventually, Joel learns the truth when a friend shows him the letter from the Lacuna company, and Joel is frustrated.
Erasing memories doesn’t end all problems. The people around you have to struggle to preserve your memory. What would happen if memory erasure became commonplace and many people erased each other’s memories? People would have to hide the truth from each other for the rest of their lives and constantly deceive each other. Relationships would be very different than they are now. If we have the convenient option of erasing our memories rather than understanding and accepting our differences, our relationships risk becoming simplistic, thoughtless, and immature. Wouldn’t this leave a deep scar on humanity as a whole?
On the other hand, there are times when memory erasure is truly necessary. If a person is traumatized by the loss of a loved one or something dear to them, and the memory of it has a profound impact on their life, erasing it could be their salvation.
In the end, what matters is the legitimacy of the technology. Technology brings both benefits and harms. The same is true for memory erasure technology. When Joel learns of Clementine’s memory wiping and goes to Lacuna to express his outrage, Dr. Howard says, “Our files are confidential, so we’re not going to lie to you. “Our files are confidential, so we can’t show you any evidence. Suffice it to say, Miss Clementine was not happy, and she wanted to move on. We provide that possibility.” Clementine wanted to erase her memories, and Lacuna provided that service. But is memory erasure a simple matter of supply and demand?
Memory wiping technology is ripe for abuse. In the movie, Lacuna’s employee Patrick steals Joel’s things to get closer to Clementine. If memory wiping technology becomes a reality, we should be wary of the dangers of technology that can change the very fabric of who we are.
Next, let’s ask the question, “Would erasing memories make you happy?” Even if we put aside the social impact of the technology and the ethical debate for a moment, can memory erasure truly make an individual happy?
The morning after his memory wipe, Joel is waiting for the train on his way to work when he impulsively boards the train to Montauk and is reunited with Clementine. As fate would have it, they are drawn to each other again despite having their memories erased. Mary also falls in love with Dr. Howard again, despite having her memories erased. This repetitiveness is also metaphorically expressed in the final scene of the movie. The scene of Joel running on the snowy Montauk beach and Clementine chasing after him is repeated three times. This suggests that erasing memories doesn’t easily change a person’s inclinations, likes, or dislikes.
However, memory erasure can also cause confusion about a person’s identity. Memories are an important part of who we are, as Clementine wandered after erasing her memories. After watching the movie, it occurred to me that memory erasure is like a game of Jenga. As we erase one memory after another, the tower of our ego gradually begins to shake, and when the last piece falls off, our ego collapses. Can we be happy in this process?
The title of the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, alludes to this theme. This quote from Alexander Pope’s poem is sweet, but in reality, it’s more of an unattainable utopia. Our minds are constantly in flux, and memories leave scars and joys along the way. It’s impossible to have a spotless heart in eternal sunshine, and even if we could, it would be easily broken by the slightest shock. Isn’t that a far cry from true happiness?
The movie Eternal Sunshine isn’t just a melodramatic movie. Through the love story of Joel and Clementine, the movie conveys the truth that acceptance and understanding are important in relationships, not impulsive choices. The sci-fi element of memory wiping makes this message even more powerful. Joel and Clementine’s sweet and tender story is what makes this movie so special.
