The world forgetting, by the world forgot
Last night I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; a film I have been meaning to see for some time. It has been ages since I have enjoyed a film so much. I have been trying to work out what is was, specifically, that was so appealing. I have come up with this (apologies if you have not seen this; it won't be the most interesting of reads):
1) The characters were unconventionally matched. Jim Carrey is a fine actor when he doesn't try to be funny, and the man he played was realistically self-conscious and introverted. He was partnered with a deliberately over-enthusiastic female who, whilst being attractively extroverted, also highlighted the differences between men and women (in relationships) well.
2) The memory element of the film had obvious appeal. This was because the couple essentially battled with being in control of their memories, trying to run away from obvious sources of them and hide one another in deep-rooted childhood moments. I felt the film dealt with this element as well as it possibly could have done, given the fact that a story based upon wiping particular memories associated with a person is a difficult thing to achieve in terms of continuity. And is a bit of a daft idea.
3) The film jumped about chronologically. I liked the way that, despite the memories of a person had been wiped, they had still influenced the characters in subtle ways, clearly altering their selves.
4) When one character was trying to regain control of memories that were being taken away from him, the film adopted a dreamlike quality. Although there was partial lucidity, there was still an external force (a laptop programmed to delete certain memories, in this case) moving the characters around into unpredictable situations. Just like a dream!
5) It was essentially heartwarming. I don't normally like heartwarming films. I like to think of myself as being in control of my emotions (although not the case). Occasionally I hear music or see a film that is touching. This film achieved this. I don't know if seeing it again would have the same effect; perhaps not. But it was a nice reminder that some arts can achieve this.
Moon. xxx
PS I know this is not my usual kind of blog, but it was time for a change. Rest assured I will be back to stropping about again tomorrow.
1) The characters were unconventionally matched. Jim Carrey is a fine actor when he doesn't try to be funny, and the man he played was realistically self-conscious and introverted. He was partnered with a deliberately over-enthusiastic female who, whilst being attractively extroverted, also highlighted the differences between men and women (in relationships) well.
2) The memory element of the film had obvious appeal. This was because the couple essentially battled with being in control of their memories, trying to run away from obvious sources of them and hide one another in deep-rooted childhood moments. I felt the film dealt with this element as well as it possibly could have done, given the fact that a story based upon wiping particular memories associated with a person is a difficult thing to achieve in terms of continuity. And is a bit of a daft idea.
3) The film jumped about chronologically. I liked the way that, despite the memories of a person had been wiped, they had still influenced the characters in subtle ways, clearly altering their selves.
4) When one character was trying to regain control of memories that were being taken away from him, the film adopted a dreamlike quality. Although there was partial lucidity, there was still an external force (a laptop programmed to delete certain memories, in this case) moving the characters around into unpredictable situations. Just like a dream!
5) It was essentially heartwarming. I don't normally like heartwarming films. I like to think of myself as being in control of my emotions (although not the case). Occasionally I hear music or see a film that is touching. This film achieved this. I don't know if seeing it again would have the same effect; perhaps not. But it was a nice reminder that some arts can achieve this.
Moon. xxx
PS I know this is not my usual kind of blog, but it was time for a change. Rest assured I will be back to stropping about again tomorrow.
posted by Moon @ 4:30 pm
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