In this blog post, we will look back at the meaning of love and memory, and whether memory erasure is a choice that can bring happiness through the movie Eternal Sunshine.
It’s Valentine’s Day, 2004. A man wakes up. His name is Joel Barish. It’s an ordinary morning, but his head feels a little heavy. As he waits for the train on his way to work, he impulsively runs to the other platform and boards a train bound for Montauk, which is not his destination. On the coast, he meets a woman named Clementine, who has attractive blue hair. They feel a strange attraction to each other and recognize each other’s existence. Joel finds Clementine again on his way back from Montauk to his house and gives her a ride home. They grow closer and spend time together.
One day, Clementine comes to get her toothbrush and finds a mysterious package from the company Lacuna. She listens to the tape in Joel’s car, and to her surprise, Clementine’s voice comes through and talks about Joel’s bad points. The two are confused. Angry, Joel drops Clementine off on the side of the road and goes home alone. However, a package from the same Lacuna company arrives at his house, and the tape inside contains negative stories about Clementine. The tape even goes into the details of how they were a long-term couple.
Five days before Valentine’s Day in 2004. In fact, they were a couple. Clementine has a fight with Joel after coming home late from drinking. Joel says hurtful things to Clementine in a fit of anger, and she packs her things and leaves the house.
Three days before Valentine’s Day. Joel goes to see Clementine to try to make up with her, but Clementine doesn’t recognize him at all. This is because the Lacuna company has erased all memories of Joel. Joel is confused by Clementine’s changed attitude.
Two days before Valentine’s Day, Joel finds out that Clementine has erased his memory.
One day before Valentine’s Day, Joel decides to visit the Lacuna company to have his memory of Clementine erased. Throughout the night, the technicians at Lacuna erase his memory one by one. And then, Valentine’s Day comes again.
Lacuna is a memory-erasing company that erases the memories of specific people. This setting makes the movie Eternal Sunshine a special work, not a common melodrama. In the movie, Lacuna employee Mary mentions Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche’s aphorism. “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 modern society, if we were to remember everything, we would probably go crazy. Everyone has at least one memory they would like to forget. In that sense, forgetting can be seen as a defense mechanism for humans to live a little happier. In other words, forgetting is an essential part of human existence.
However, forgetting does not always go as we want. Memories that we want to forget are not easily forgotten, and memories that we want to keep tend to fade away. What if a technology were developed that could control these memories? If the mechanism of human memory could be fully elucidated through the advancement of biology, a memory-deletion company that completely erases memories of a specific person, as in the movies, might exist in reality. This is a topic that many people might have imagined at least once. Then we are faced with these questions: “Is it okay to erase memories?” and “Will I be happy if I erase my memories?”
The movie offers one possible answer to these questions through the story of the two main characters.
First, “Is it okay to erase memories?” Memory is a mutual thing. Unilaterally erasing memories without the consent of the other person can be a form of violence against the person or the people around them. In the movie, the Lacuna company also sends letters to Clementine’s acquaintances. “Clementine has erased all her memories of Joel. Please don’t tell her about your relationship!” However, Joel, who does not know this, is confused and upset by Clementine’s reaction of not recognizing him. Eventually, Joel learns the truth when his friend shows him the letter from the Lacuna company, and he is frustrated.
Erasing memories does not mean that all problems will end. People around the erased person must make an effort to preserve the erased person’s memory. What would happen if memory erasure became common and many people erased each other’s memories? There may come a time when we have to hide the truth and constantly deceive each other for the rest of our lives. This will change the nature of human relationships. If we can make the convenient choice of erasing memories rather than understanding and accepting each other’s differences, human relationships run the risk of becoming simple, thoughtless, and immature. Wouldn’t this leave a huge scar on humanity as a whole?
However, there may be cases where the deletion of memories is really necessary. If a person suffers from trauma after losing someone they loved or something precious, and if those memories have a significant impact on their life, then deleting those memories may be a salvation for that person.
Ultimately, what matters is the legitimacy of the technology. Technology provides convenience but also comes with harm. The same is true for memory deletion technology. When Joel, who learned of Clementine’s memory deletion, visited the Lacuna company and expressed his anger, Dr. Howard said, “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 have her memory erased, and Lacuna provided that service. But can the memory-erasing service be dismissed as simply a matter of supply and demand?
Memory-erasing technology is at high risk of being abused. A scene in the movie in which Lacuna employee Patrick steals Joel’s things to get close to Clementine suggests such a possibility. If memory-erasing technology becomes a reality, we will have to be wary of the dangers of technology that can change the very core of human nature.
Next, let’s ask the question, “Will erasing memories make us happy?” Even if we put aside the social impact of technology and ethical discussions for a moment, can individuals really be happy by deleting their memories?
The next morning, after having had his memory wiped, Joel impulsively boards a train bound for Montauk while waiting for a train to work, and reunites with Clementine. Despite having had their memories wiped, they are drawn to each other again as if it is fate. Mary also falls in love with Dr. Howard again despite having had her memory wiped. This repetition is also metaphorically expressed in the final scene of the film. The scene of Joel running on the snow-covered Montauk beach and Clementine chasing after him is repeated three times. This suggests that even if one’s memory is erased, one’s personality or likes and dislikes do not change easily.
However, erasing one’s memory can cause confusion in one’s identity. Just as Clementine wandered after her memory was erased, memory is an important element that shapes who we are. After watching the movie, I feel like erasing memories is like playing a game of Jenga. As we erase our memories one by one, our ego begins to gradually crumble. And when the last piece falls, our ego collapses. Can we be happy in this process?
The title of the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, also alludes to this theme. This phrase, taken from a poem by Alexander Pope, is a sweet expression, but in reality it is more of an ideal that is impossible to achieve. Our minds are constantly in flux, and our memories leave behind wounds and joy in the process. Having a heart without a speck of dust in the eternal sunshine is ultimately impossible, and even if it were possible, that heart would easily crumble at the slightest shock. Isn’t this far from true happiness?
The movie Eternal Sunshine is not just a simple melodrama. It tells the story of Joel and Clementine’s love, and the truth that in human relationships, it is important to embrace and understand, rather than make impulsive choices. This message is even more powerful through the sci-fi element of memory deletion. The sweet and sad story of Joel and Clementine makes this movie a special work.
