Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel and Clementine were formerly in a relationship but after a few ups and downs, Clementine impulsively has her memories of Joel erased. This erasing of her memories is viewed by Clementine as a way to grow as a person. While she no longer had the upset or sad memories to think about, all of the positive times the two shared were stripped away from her and she was forced to live her life without all of the growth and positivity they developed together.
While Joel is a soft-spoken and shy man and Clementine is an outgoing, free-spirit, the two complement each other very well. As they always say, "opposites attract." One part of the film that I find very troubling is the unethical practices of the lab employees. The one lab assistant that is also Frodo Baggins, essentially steals all of Joel's tricks to winning Clementine's heart. While Joel is just himself which allows him to win over Clementine even though he is a reserved guy. Clementine wanted only be happy and Joel is able to reach his inner peace after he tries to have the same procedure done to himself.
This film shows that growth and happiness is not achieved by means of a procedure or a "how-to" book. People grow and develop in different ways. Things take time and everyone is different. Wiping memories is no way to grow.

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