English- Eternal Sunshine

themes

regret, importance and fallibility of memories, love imperfection and acceptance, communication, repetition and human nature

regret

people often realise the value of something only after losing it, showing that mistakes can teach us and shape who we become

importance and fallibility of memories

memories shape our identity, but they are imperfect and can change, showing that our understanding of the past is not always reliable

love imperfection and acceptance

love is not perfect, and accepting flaws and difficulties can lead to stronger, more meaningful relationships

communication

poor communication can cause misunderstandings and conflict, showing that honest communication is essential for healthy relationships

repetition and human nature

people often repeat behaviours and mistakes, showing that human nature can be difficult to change

‘I apply…’

‘i apply my personality in a paste’

‘that orange…’

‘that orange sweatshirt i would come to know so well and even hate eventually’

‘blessed…’

‘blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better of their blunders’ -mary quoting philosopher

‘i want…’

‘i want to call it off’

‘please let…’

‘please let me keep this memory’

‘im not…’

‘im not a concept, joel’

‘I wish…’

‘I wish I had stayed too. NOW I wish I had stayed’

‘it means…’

‘it means merciful. i’m a vindictive little bitch, truth be told’. ‘‘i wouldn’t think that about you”.

montauk house techniques

mise en scene, surrealism, setting, lighting

orange hair

later in relationship, more complicated, change

green hair

beginning relationship, new beginnings, freshness, excitement

red hair

middle of relationship, passion, intensity, growing conflict

blue hair

end of relationship, sadness, loneliness, breakdown

close up moments

joel’s face during memory erasure, final ‘okay’ scene (vulnerability)

wide shot moments

on ice (small/ vulnerable, intimacy and isolation), collapsing beach house, joel and clementine running on beach at end (freedom, new beginnings)

mise en scene

yellow kitchen, nostalgia and warmth

by attempting…

by attempting to erase painful memories, the characters reveal that forgetting the past does not necessarily free us from it

the film…

the film ultimately suggests that experiencing pain does not make love meaningless, but rather strengthens it

love and…

love and pain are inseparable parts of human nature

what is the contradiction against the philosopher (himself)

‘amor fati’ (a love of fate), fully remembering/ accepting one’s past instead of erasing or forgetting it

finding out clementine erased joel

close up (shock, confusion, hurt), emotional memories can not simply be treated as something disposable

what does the bird represent

joel’s childhood innocence- painful/ shameful memories shape who we become, human nature difficult to change

on ice camera features

lighting (spotlight)- clementine becomes increasingly associated with light