The Value of Memories: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

I did not chance upon my second viewing of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I arrived home from work on a Friday, less than three weeks after a breakup, and I was sad. Logic told me to reach out to friends for company or find a mindless comedy on Netflix to pass the time, but I was sad and didn't much care to fight it. So, I sought out the movie about a mismatched couple who decide to have their memories of each other erased. 

The movie begins with Jim Carrey, playing against type beautifully as the sad and introverted Joel, spontaneously ditching work to go to the seaside town of Montauk. It's freezing out and the beach is deserted, save for a woman with striking blue hair and a bright red sweatshirt. She is Kate Winslet's Clementine, all impulses and spontaneity.

Joel and Clementine are unable to shake each other the rest of the day. They end up at the same diner for lunch, casting curious glances at each other, before finding themselves sharing the same train home. It's here that they have their [first] conversation, which consists of Clementine spewing her every thought while Joel nods politely. They're polar opposites, but at this moment, they couldn't be more perfect for each other. By the end of the day, Clementine has already told Joel she's going to marry him. As he leaves to go home, in one of the movie's most memorable lines, Clementine implores him to wish her a Happy Valentine's Day when he calls her the next day, simply because "it would be nice."

If Eternal Sunshine sounds like standard romantic fare, I encourage you to seek it out on Netflix so you can have the joy of being proven wrong. The movie snakes its way back and forth through time as we discover that Clementine had her memories of Joel erased once their relationship soured. Confused and upset, Joel visits Lacuna, Inc., the provider of Clementine's and many other's memory erasures. It doesn't take him long to decide to have his memories of Clementine purged.

Eternal Sunshine's best scenes ensue during Joel's operation, in which he relives his memories with Clementine and, despite the tremendous hurt she caused him, decides he wants to keep these memories after all. As each one fades and dissipates, Joel desperately clings to Clementine and attempts to hide her away in memories where she doesn't belong. It all culminates in a heartbreaking scene. The two are sitting on the beach where they first met, and Clementine informs Joel that she'll be gone soon and asks him what they should do. Instead of continuing his fight to hold on to her, he calmly replies that they should enjoy the time they have left. 

There are many reasons why Eternal Sunshine so strongly endears itself to viewers, even landing in the top 100 movies of all time as voted by users on IMDB. To me, aside from the innovative visuals and camera tricks, the film's greatest quality is its incredibly honest portrayal of romantic relationships. We get many glimpses of the great times between Joel and Clementine, but we also witness the moments when they hurt each other and the seeds for their relationships's demise were planted. 

Eternal Sunshine poses a difficult question. Given the opportunity, would you choose to have your memories of a failed relationship removed? I think I decided to revisit the movie because it reinforced my answer. In my recent experience, I found the good memories to be the most painful, and they were the ones I kept revisiting. Those memories still hurt, but I would be lying if I said I don't cherish them. Those moments were magical, and the sadness of knowing there won't be more with that person is outweighed by the gratitude for having experienced them. I think Joel and Clementine come to the same realization.