"How happy is the blameless vestals lot! / The globe forgetting, by the globe forgot / Eternal sunlight of the spotless head! / Each prayr accepted, and each wish resignd. "
Michael Gondry's Eternal Sunlight of the Spotless Brain (2004) is very an alternative passionate comedy. "It isn't exactly science-fiction, it is not quite drama, and it is not really a romantic humor" (in Kleinman, 2008). It is a sophisticated film which brings us several philosophical questions such as: what would happen if individuals were with the capacity of deleting the unpleasant memories of these failed relationships? Just how many times in life can a person love someone? How strong are remembrances in human imagination?
The subject of the film is encouraged by verses compiled by Alexander Pope. In fact the title of the film was extracted from those verses. In order to understand the profound message of this complex and alternative romantic comedy it's important to analyse the manufacturer and screenwriter Charlie Kauftman, screenwriter in Being John Malkovich (Spinke Jonze, 1999) and also in Version (Spinke Jonze, 2002). Inside the film Charlie Kaufman examines the existing connections between personal personality, memory space and love. Throughout the portrayal in the film by the characters Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel (Jim Carrey) Kaufman makes us aware of the power of remembrances (or at least of how our identification becomes configured by those memories), the encouragement of how indestructible shared encounters are (this is symbolized by the character types finding themselves on the beach in Montauk at exactly the same time) and the failing when trying to displace a romance (this is illustrated by Patrick's failed attempt to make Clem fall deeply in love with him by imitating Joels habit).
Eternal Sunlight of the Spotless Head breaks the affectionate comedy mold. It includes a cross of a romantic and science-fiction story, while borrowing regular aspects of the romantic comedy genre. However the love portrayed in the film is far from conventional passionate comedies. Clementine and Joel are not compatible, nevertheless they do love each other. The aim of what follows is to analyse the primary characteristics that produce the film an unconventional passionate comedy and different innovative angles from which the relationship is explored.
4. 1 Breaking the conventions of the traditional linear narrative and time of passionate comedies
Stanley Cavell determined a dominant narrative form of the genre which he labeled "the comedy of remarriage" (1981:41). The formulaic aspect of this genre presents several variations; however the mostly used is the narrative of the loving comedy which recognizes the couple primarily segregated, facing factors beyond their control however in the end reuniting after various misunderstandings and problems. The passionate comedy genre puts emphasis on "the triad order/ disorder/ order-restored" Hayward, (1996: 45). So for example, at the beginning of Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938), one of the most celebrated screwball funny videos, the "order" is produced when the film starts with Teacher David Huxley (Cary Give), who's going to marry Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker), meets Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) over a golf course. The "disorder" is produced when Susan manages to lose her family pet leopard and she realises that she enjoys and avoids David's wedding. The "order-restored" is portrayed when Susan and David declare their emotions to the other person plus they finally live happily ever after.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Brain does not follow Hayward's composition. It begins at the end of their history somewhat than at its start so in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Brain what happens seems to be the contrary of the original linear narrative, delivering a narrative composition that one would not expect. The interesting report of the film focuses on Joel Barish, who is very stunned and harmed after finding that by using a medical procedure in Lacuna Inc. Company his sweetheart Clementine Kruczynski has erased him and everything the stories that they distributed through their chaotic and difficult marriage collectively. Clementine makes her decision after finding that they are completely opposites. While Joel will not like to discuss much, lives with a deep emptiness and has issues in expressing his thoughts, Clementine is very available with her emotions:
Clementine: You don't inform me things Joel. I'm an available book. I tell you everything every damn, humiliating thing. You do not believe me?
Joel: Constantly chatting isn't necessarily conversing
They have completely different personalities which is this great difference in personality that triggers misunderstandings they have got at the very beginning of their romantic relationship. As their romance continues they do not only learn the virtues but also the faults and defects of the other: this becomes the main reason Clementine goes through the medical procedure to remove her memory of Joel. Desperate, Joel decides to undergo the same method to get rid of any possible recollection of Clementine. As his head is steadily erased, Joel realises he is making a huge mistake because he deeply is in love with Clementine, and starts to fight the erasing process to be able to forever maintain the memories of the woman he adores.
Michael Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind definitely doesn't match the conventional narrative of a romantic comedy; the peculiarity of this romantic comedy is devoted to the script that confuses the viewer with a nonlinear and inversed storyline with constant changes not only with time, but also in space where the start of the film is also the finish. Its complex composition allows the film to alternate between three narratives: the real world, Joel's head, and memory of his history. Good examples of the complex narrative of the film will be the jumps with time. In the first and one of the previous scenes of the film: the landscape is the same. Joel appears to be getting up on what appears to be a standard day, nothing seems unusual, but later the audience discovers that it is the first day of his new life after having completed the procedure to neglect Clementine. Seconds later Joel leaves his house to find his car scratched. He assumes that the driver of the automobile parked next to his is at fault. However, the simple truth is that Clementine destroyed the car after going back home drunk one night time.
Therefore the narration of the film breaks the mold of the intimate funny genre by differing out of every possible aspect of the traditional linear format of intimate comedies by using the flashbacks. These flashbacks will make it difficult to differentiate between former, present and future situations because flashbacks and flash-forwards should never be clearly indicated. However the screenplay copy writer includes various signs to make it easier for the viewer to piece together the collection of events. Examples of this kind of narration, however, not necessarily motion pictures framed in to the genre of the intimate humor include Crash (Paul Haggis, 2005), Syriana (Stephen Gaghan, 2006), and Babel (Alejandro Gonzlez I±rritu, 2006).
4. 2 The agonizing side of love
Another example that determines Eternal Sunshine of an Spotless Mind into the alternative romantic comedy is they occurrence of the unpleasant side of love in the film. Whereas passionate comedies have a tendency to hide the painful part of love with the fatality of one of the addicts as happens in Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003) or with a unfortunate farewell as in The Notebook (Nick Cassavetes, 2004), others simply don't address it, as occurs in My Big Body fat Greek Wedding (Joel Zwick, 2002) or the pain is merely reduced to some unfortunate misunderstandings or exterior obstacles just as Meet up with the Parents (Jay Roach, 2000). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will not hide the unpleasant side of love. It shows the occurrence of troubled and the cruelty caused in a sentimental romance where the sense of pain is continuously present taking apart the unrealistic image that Hollywood romances usually give to love. Essentially the most relevant example is the field of the iced Charles River where Joel says to Clementine: "I could perish right now, Clem. I'm justhappy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly. where I wanna be"
Joel: By morning, you'll be vanished.
Joel: Just what a loss to spend that enough time with someone, only to learn that she's a stranger
Happily ever after?
"Why do people think romantic relationships are likely to last forever in any case?"
Jesse, Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)
A common strategy employed by passionate comedies is the traditional happy closing, as happens in You have an email (Nora Eprhon, 1998) or in Notthing Hill (Roger Michell, 1999). However, the film may end with the central couple dissolved but the lovers still happy as occurs in Lost in translation (Sofa Coppola, 2003). Or it could simply be still left as an unresolved stopping just as Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Brain lacks of any portrayal of a normal ending, this lack is due to the acceptance of the few condemned to an end when deciding to keep carefully the tape which has the erased recollections.
As discussed earlier, charming comedies usually present happy endings: the few street to redemption in love, are about to begin a marriage, and are portrayed in an instant of perfect pleasure in the film's final moments. Nevertheless, the closing of Eternal Sunshine shows that the couple's future is not really a "happily ever before after". Rather than presenting the thought of eternal happiness, the film's final dialogues inform you to the viewer that the romance has an stopping date:
Clementine: That is it, Joel. It will likely be absent soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.
The film signifies what many Hollywood romances avoid handling: that love is not necessarily a "happily ever before after". When Joel and Clementine conclude hearing the tape, their popularity of both their history and future mistakes is present with "Okay":
Joel: I can't see whatever I don't like about you.
Clementine: But you will! But you'll. You know, you will think of things. And I'll get uninterested in you and feel stuck because that's what goes on with me at night.
Joel: Okay.
Clementine: [pauses] Okay.
The idea that Joel and Clementine make the decision to get started their romance again is a proof their popularity of love as an strong and highly keen emotion. As a result it appears that although a lot of the narrative can be involved with the procedure of forgetting, the few eventually appreciate something very valuable: while they rediscover their neglected recent, Joel and Clementine find out more on themselves. Their decision to start their relationship again is dependant on recognising not only their past mistakes, but also just how fragile affectionate love is. Whether this knowledge allows those to avoid the issues they suffered before is mysterious, however in many ways this is no longer important. The thought of love that is offered in this ending is not implying an eternal love but instead presents something transitory, offering realism and differing from the idea of intimate love.
Given this style of romantic love and towards it, the Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, released the term of "liquid love". Bauman argues that individuals bonds have become fragile, lacking power and designed to be more and even more transitory, superficial and with less determination.
The ending of the film does not reaffirm the idea of romantic love as commonly presented in passionate comedies, but affirms a different concept that contains Bauman's idea of love as a liquid love with an ephemeral dynamics.
There are several views which donate to the sense of ephemeral love of the few: the repeated picture in which Joel and Clementine playing in the snow, as snow is destined to melt and eventually disappear. The melancholic music associated a few of the scenes (Beck's tune, "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime") noticed at the start of the film outrageous of images of Joel crying after his break-up with Clementine but also in the long run where the use of the same track in such different occasions, seems to suggest that the start is the finish.
It also seems significant that at the end of the storyline, a second chance for the couple isn't validated with a kiss or a hug, but is recognized by the couple whilst they maintain a safe distance breaking the format which is usually used in the majority of mainstream intimate comedies. Eternal Sunlight of an Spotless Brain evokes what Cavell (1981) explained with regard to charming comedies of Hollywood involving marital reconciliation: joy cannot be achieved once and for all, but is an everyday battle. The few face a second chance with a new perspective based on knowing and acknowledging who their partner truly is and what they can expect of each other (because of the experiences they have already shared). This new knowledge is emphasised by the melody read in the backgroud: Everybody Needs to Learn Sometime by Beck. As such, the film provides a more practical portrayal of relationship than those found in so many normal comedies. However, this won't mean that it is doesn't offer anticipation: essentially it illustrates the capability a couple has to triumph over the (great) mistakes that they are capable of making.
What should be thought of its stopping? That Joel and Clementine have learnt from their problems and this their marriage will improve in the foreseeable future? That their romantic relationship will breakdown as it performed before? What's important isn't the solution, but the uncertainty that your film leaves the viewer with, because that's the truth about interactions, at least even as we see them today: they are simply unstable, uncontrollable, and although people try to make the best of their relationships and reduce daily problems as much as they can, there are way too many factors involved to be able to make the partnership a success with ease. In the end, there is absolutely no secret to reaching an effective long-term romantic relationship. It's just a combination of luck, chemistry and the capability to increase and reinvent oneself as some. However, this is something is much much easier to say than to do.
