Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel's (Jim Carey) memories are erased in a very interesting way. From the disappearance of facial features, destruction of the background, the dark (spotlight) lighting, and the eerie hollow sounds. Spotlight lighting reminds me of the focus of memories, since we will only remember details that we have focused on. All of the unnecessary information is quickly forgotten.

The traveling inside of Joel's mind is really the highlight of the film, and it is a large portion of the film takes place there. We are able to learn greatly about about who he is and why he behaves the way he does. An example of this is when Joel and Clementine (Kate Winslet) hide from the Erasers in Joel's early memories. It shows that Joel has always been mild-mannered, wants to please others, and wanted to receive more attention/affection from his mother. Also, most of Joel's memories are the bad, embarassing ones. It also shows that, no matter the age, memories that stay in our mind have a profound affect on us. This is apparent in Joel's memory of him getting peer-pressured into killing a bird, he tries to confront these bullies, showing that he is still affected in some way by this situation. Should have erased this memory? It was painful. But in some ways, it shapes who Joel is as a person.

I ask those that read this blog to think about their most influential memories; memories that still affect them in some way or another, do you agree that they shape your personality? And, would you erase a memory if you honestly believed that it would help your life?