Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind tells the story of Joel, a man reeling after a break up with his girlfriend Clementine. When Joel finds out that Clementine has undergone a procedure to erase him from her memory, he decides to do the same.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is about the persistence of memory and its importance in our lives. In traditional Kaufman style, the story is told in disjointed fragments, using devices like Clementine’s hair color to establish a timeline. These fragments mirror the experience of recalling a memory, in pieces.
Joel experiences his memories with Clementine as they are being erased, and after deciding to fight back and try to escape the technicians performing the operation, Clementine tells Joel to meet her in Montauk, the place they first met. At this point the start of the film makes sense, and we realize that Joel and Clementine reconnect after their memories are erased. Something survives the operation, almost like memories are more than just the events they capture.
The film chronicles Joel’s somber, confusing journey to acceptance as he slowly realizes that even our most painful memories are worth keeping. We cannot forget people and the pain that comes with losing them without also losing the love and happiness we felt with them.
Some relationships will always be destined to fail. You grow apart, move away, or just grow tired of each other. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind argues that we can know all these things and choose to love anyway.