Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Meaning
-
1TOP RATED
Osaka Sep 5th 2007, 16:04 report
The movie is about Fate. Fate binds two people together, and no matter how hard they struggle against it, they will never fully overcome it.
Even after erasing each other from their memories, they still meet each other again. Then, even after getting the tapes in the mail and knowing how unhappy they were at the end of the erased relationship, they STILL choose to be together.
Sometimes two people are meant for each other, and Fate will always bring them together. -
-
-
moviedude108 Nov 9th 2007, 17:49 report
This movie is about the futility of trying to make everything perfect.
In this movie people have the ability to erase bad memories, but end up making things worse by denying flaws and mistakes instead of learning from them and dealing with them. -
aldreezy Nov 24th 2007, 13:51 report
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind shows how it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all and how fate will bring two people together. At first Jim Carey wishes to erase Kate Winslet from his memory but as he relives every single moment with her, he realizes that he doesn't want to lose what he had even if it is painful because what they had was beautiful. Even after having their memories erased, they still walk right back into the same situation they were in before it. The tapes kind of show how you live and you learn from your mistakes and how they were willing to try to overcome them.
-
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
-
-
anonymous Jul 7th 2009, 02:30 report
I think the most simplistic interpretation is about love and relationships. At the end everything is F#@ked up, you hate this person, every little detail annoys you and you think that if you never see this person again you'd be better off.
In Joel's case he gets to relive his relationship in a retrospective manner, in which he realizes that it wasn't all bad, I did feel something at this point in time, i do feel that this (or some memories) are worth keeping, this might explain why in the middle of the procedure he decides to stop it.
When you strip it down to the core the question would be "are you better off erasing a past relationship?" i think the movie answers it by saying a big NO. You steal a bit of your significant other in every relationship and you make part of yourself (introjection). If you are blinded by the pain your going through at the moment you won't be able to see that you'd actually be killing a part of yourself it would be the emotional equivalent of committing (at least partial) suicide.
The end is very unclear, I'd like to think that they got back together (instead of the final scene being a flashback) not because of fate, not because they were destined to, but because the ride was worth it, even though chances are they'll eventually fall out of love again -
kryptonelf Jul 28th 2009, 18:57 report
This movie is based on the epic poem by Alexander Pope. I think this movie is about how even though it may seem like our lives would be happier without certain memories it can end up destroying our good memories that we had in the process. Just like there can be no light without the dark, there can be no good memories without the bad. Plus memories make us who we are and allow us to experience life for what it really is.
-
anonymous Dec 10th 2009, 19:50 report
In my opinion this film deals with how our society has the ability to manipulate our thoughts. The clinic which erased people's memories could represent college in a sense that our opinions change and we begin to form our own perspective on the world. The clinic in this sense could represent either technology or community or both and Clementine would represent nature because Joel is naturally drawn towards her and it is not until the end when he realizes that he need and is drawn towards Clementine that his world is balanced. In other words Joel is relying on this clinic(technology and nature) to do all the work for him but without Clementine(nature) it just isn't working out, so you need a balance of all three. I just believe it is about manipulation of mind and losing touch of nature.
-
anonymous Feb 23rd 2010, 15:38 report
Bouncing off another person's idea, the clinic is a metaphor for people not dealing with their mistakes or pasts. Joel falls in the exact same kind of love the second time around with the same exact girl, but only can *deal* with his mistake once he knows what mistake he has done, by listening to the tape. If the clinic stayed open and Kirsten Dunst didn't send out the tapes, they would've hated each other again and dealt with it the same way again. The clinic closing is like closing down the possibility of hiding from your past, forcing people to confront what they have tried to forget. This goes along with the song from the credits, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" by Beck.
-
ilfrums May 26th 2010, 02:56 report
Joel and Clementine must make a choice (the poignant scene at the end of the film in the hallway after they have both listened to the tapes). Do they embark on what they know will most likely be a doomed love affair, or do they avoid future pain by saying goodbye? It's a metaphor for life. In other words, will the knowledge - all good things come to an end - stop us embracing life.
-
anonymous Jun 6th 2010, 19:09 report
(same guy from 2010-2-23)
After watching this again: In response to the last post, I believe they still go on to see each other. The movie might be teaching us to take in all moments, good and bad, for you cannot have one without the other, just like in the scene with Joel in bed crawling, trying to get Clem back the very first time. There, he says something like "Please, let me have this one memory" or something like that.
They have each heard what the other one complains about when they listen to each other's tape, and they know how things can turn out. In the end of the movie, they know they'll have a good time with each other despite what bad may happen, and they choose to go on anyway. -
-
lori914 Sep 24th 2010, 09:18 report
I would have to agree with the first post or the one that is the original description of the film. This movie and most focus features like it, doesn't really have one solid interpretation and thats what I love about these films. Or the older ones when the company first came out, like ESOTSM, I LOVE THIS FILM! The only basic, simple, interpretation of the film that I would say is correct is that LOVE WILL FIND A WAY. I believe in fate, so to speak, and I think that when there is a love that God has set asunder, no man can set aside or separate it. Love is ill fated, most of the time, when it comes to true, hard-core, deep as hell, head of heals kinds of loves that is. Or at least in my personal experience it has been that way and from what I have seen of romances going on around me. This is a great film that has a little something for everyone. Not any action or nudity but it has comedy, drama, romance, and even some horror if you consider the fact of what Joel experiences when he wants to wake up and can't, to me, that would be horrifying! I hope I didn't spoil any of the movie for those of you who haven't seen it and given some insight to those of you that have but could not make any sense of the chaos and confusion that this movie seems to bring to some.
Lori -
anonymous Nov 15th 2010, 18:17 report
I am surprised with the amount of interpretations that believe that the couple stayed together in the end. I believe that he kind of wanted to try again but they both in the end realized that it was destined for failure.
I think that the flashback clip following their exchange solidifies that their relationship will only be a (very) distant memory. Somewhere in the strands of time, they were in love. And sadly, it will stay that way.
I believe that he said okay to acknowledge that she was indeed correct with her theory. Great movie. -
-
anonymous Jan 12th 2011, 08:50 report
The power of Love. You can't erase your loved one from your life...NO way!!
-
PogoWayneGacy Jan 19th 2011, 18:30 report
What a wonderful story of Hope and Desire. Desire being the more powerful of the two elements. I feel Fate is brought about through huge quantities of Desire. Desire is what this story brings to life. How much effort is put into deconstructing this relationship? Obviously, not enough. They each have a Powerful Desire for one another.
This can be a difficult story to follow. It does take multiple viewings to catch the true meaning. A tip for those who are interested - Watch for Clem's hair color changes to keep you on track of the timeline of the film. There are so many returns and forwards throughout the film, it is hard to judge where, within the story, you are located. Clem's hair color directs your way through the story. Match hair colors and you will have an easier time following the story in its entirety. -
jad2121 Feb 21st 2011, 21:27 report
I've seen the movie a number of times and I have noticed a couple of things that leads me to a rather obscure interpretation (which is not that strange since it is an obscure movie). It seems to me that the movie is, at least in part, about an abortion. Now before I begin, iI want to say that I personally am pro choice but i see an alternative message in this movie.
1. The first thing that points me towards this interpretation is that the catalyst that causes Kate Winslet to get the procedure is a fight about having a baby. She says that she wants a baby and he says that they're not ready. this fight causes her to go out and get drunk and then get the procedure
2. The memory of their relationship is the only product that the relationship produces. It is, in essence, the offspring of their relationship. In destroying the memories, she destroys that offspring
3. In the side-story with Mary, played by Kirstin Dunst, we are presented with a story of a married older man having an affair with a beautiful young woman, this is a classic situation in which the woman would have an abortion. Also, when she finally listens to her tape, we hear him saying "we both agreed that it would be for the best", which is the language often used with an abortion. In fact, the the DVD commentary, we learn that originally, the character of Mary had had an abortion. This was later cut out of the final movie.
I agree that this is not damning evidence, however it is difficult to ignore. The overall moral of the movie is, of course, that there is no eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. It shows that It is not right to erase the mistakes of the past for want of happiness because it does not ultimately bring happiness or eternal sunshine but instead emptiness. -
anonymous Mar 2nd 2011, 13:02 report
I think this movie is about the beauty of the human mind. It is about the inevitable attraction to certain people.Although the doctor erased Clem, Joel, and Mary's memory, they still managed to carry out the same behavior, because people dont change, and then chemistry of your mind will always stay the same no matter if it erased or not. It is telling the audience that we need to learn from our past so we dont repeat past events because we all have the same train of thought
Submit Your Interpretation
| Movies Now on DVD | |
|---|---|
|
Contagion |
|
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark |
|
I Don't Know How She Does it |
|
Moneyball |
|
Shark Night |
|
What's Your Number? |