Art Movie [Arts Explorer #5]
So the art movie that a group of friends and I decided to watch for this Arts Explorer was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) directed by Michel Gondry. I saw this movie once a long time ago but did not remember anything about it. It was a fantastic movie and I recommend it! We had our movie discussion via facebook, so here it is:
Michelle: I agree with Diana. I don't think I could go through erasing my memories (even the bad ones), because I think that they are part of who you are. Also, I don't think you can escape fate, which would make erasing your memory pointless because the same things would end up happening (a point in case with Mary). I also cannot imagine what the world would be like if you were actually able to erase your memory. I think it would be interesting to see who would do it and for what reasons. Just like to point out there's a new movie coming out that reminds me of this....the adjustment bureau and for some reason inception.
Sam: Ha ha, yeah. The whole thing ends up with them realizing what they had in the beginning. Any relationship, no matter how crappy it may have/did/could (I don't know how to phrase this, ha) become, had to have some good points or it wouldn't have manifested into a relationship at all. Those memories are certainly worth having, in my opinion. I love memories and nostalgia.
This movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. I love when little indie-ish (I hate using the word indie) movies win Academy Awards. The Oscars is by no way a means of judging whether a film is good or not since it's run by old people, but when a film like this wins, it's cool. Especially when it's screenplay awards. It demonstrates that many people appreciate the film for its uniqueness. To me, the story is most important in a film. Visual effects? No thanks. The story is the foundation, and then you build on top of that. Big time blockbusters are so cheesy these days, and I feel half of the movies nominated for awards were produced solely to win awards. Which is why The Social Network won't win anything at the Oscars this year and it'll be The Kings Speech and stuff like that. Sorry, I am getting personal now (NOT DIMINISHING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STORY BEHIND THE KING'S SPEECH, because I like it).
POINT IS, the team behind it makes this story interesting. Charlie Kaufman was a writer for the story and adapted it into a screenplay, and he did Being John Malkovich which is AWESOME (among other good films). Michel Gondry was a writer, and does awesome stuff on his own, especially music videos. I see a lot of his influence in the visual style of the film. There is a third writer dude, but I don't know much about him. I am pretty passionate about film, writing and directing. Not only did they write an interesting story, they made it visually appealing as well. Anyway, I love the idea of them working together, it's like a collaboration piece. Writing is art, film is art. Yay art.
This movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. I love when little indie-ish (I hate using the word indie) movies win Academy Awards. The Oscars is by no way a means of judging whether a film is good or not since it's run by old people, but when a film like this wins, it's cool. Especially when it's screenplay awards. It demonstrates that many people appreciate the film for its uniqueness. To me, the story is most important in a film. Visual effects? No thanks. The story is the foundation, and then you build on top of that. Big time blockbusters are so cheesy these days, and I feel half of the movies nominated for awards were produced solely to win awards. Which is why The Social Network won't win anything at the Oscars this year and it'll be The Kings Speech and stuff like that. Sorry, I am getting personal now (NOT DIMINISHING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STORY BEHIND THE KING'S SPEECH, because I like it).
POINT IS, the team behind it makes this story interesting. Charlie Kaufman was a writer for the story and adapted it into a screenplay, and he did Being John Malkovich which is AWESOME (among other good films). Michel Gondry was a writer, and does awesome stuff on his own, especially music videos. I see a lot of his influence in the visual style of the film. There is a third writer dude, but I don't know much about him. I am pretty passionate about film, writing and directing. Not only did they write an interesting story, they made it visually appealing as well. Anyway, I love the idea of them working together, it's like a collaboration piece. Writing is art, film is art. Yay art.
A world where we could erase our memory would be...
horrible
pointless
unemotional
vapid
boring
heartless.
I like feeling feelings, which goes hand in hand with thinking thoughts and remembering memories.
horrible
pointless
unemotional
vapid
boring
heartless.
I like feeling feelings, which goes hand in hand with thinking thoughts and remembering memories.
Diana: I can't really touch upon the awards and people behind the making of the film because I don't know anything about anything when it comes to that. But EXACTLY. You can't run away from what is going to happen, change what has, or make yourself permanently forget it all. The words you have for a world where people could erase their memories are PERFECT!! If someone passes away and you can't take the pain anymore, or if you break up with someone and you just want to forget it, you're not only erasing all the bad, but you're erasing all the good. All the wonderful memories and emotions would be gone. It would be such a waste of your life to have memories and then erase them. You look back on it, you laugh about it, cry about it or regret it, whatever. It makes you who you are.
Michelle: I think that although you can't (and I wouldn't want to) erase memories, I'm sure there are definitely some people who would disagree (there always are). I think that doing this would make the world as sam described it, and these people would rethink their stance on the issue. I think though this is one of these issues where if people did want to erase their memories, the only way of making them see the effects of their actions would be for it to actually happen, because we will truly never know...
Natalie: Well, since all the good comments have been made, I will try to reiterate my similar thoughts. Erasing your memory no matter how painful some are, is a terrible thing. Those memories are a part of who you are! They make/break/ define parts of your life that shape who you become and how you got to that. The movie in itself shows a fair representation of a world where that is possible but I don't agree with the concept whatsoever. It's a disturbing idea. But I actually did enjoy the movie... AND just for you Gustav, Kirsten Dunst was excellent comic relief! :P
Image from: http://erase-me.org/
Gustav: I think that it is interesting how Patrick(Elijah Wood) wants to take over Joel pretty mundane life. As an observer, Joel´s life is not really that desriable, maybe with the exception of his girlfriend. But he could try to start dating her without trying to be Joel. Because since Clementine wanted her memory earesed, Joel is clearly not the optimum fit for her. So is it an expression for "that the pasture is always greener on the other side" and he cannot get rid of the thought of being Joel before he tried? Or is he only a very weak individual unable to create a life for himself that he feels that he needs to take over someone elses? From what we can see in the movie he constantly seeks validation from other people to give him a right to exsist.
So I think its fair to say that there is a general agreement about not erasing your memories. But what if you where abused as a child? Raped? Bullied, like really bad, in school and it limited you as a person? And if the technology was available wouldnt it be fair to let adults choose for themselves what to do with their lives? I dont believe in fate as in that things a pre-determined, things happen far to much by chance. So to explain how Mary fell in love with the doctor all over again is because as she grew up she aquired a taste for certain things and therefore she will make choices that would nudge chance at the direction she would want, so I think he could be exchanged for someone fairly similar and she would fall in love with him, because she likes those qualities that he poesses like being kind, patient and secure.
So I think its fair to say that there is a general agreement about not erasing your memories. But what if you where abused as a child? Raped? Bullied, like really bad, in school and it limited you as a person? And if the technology was available wouldnt it be fair to let adults choose for themselves what to do with their lives? I dont believe in fate as in that things a pre-determined, things happen far to much by chance. So to explain how Mary fell in love with the doctor all over again is because as she grew up she aquired a taste for certain things and therefore she will make choices that would nudge chance at the direction she would want, so I think he could be exchanged for someone fairly similar and she would fall in love with him, because she likes those qualities that he poesses like being kind, patient and secure.
Karishma: Well to start off... I see this movie as a realization that you never really know what you have until you begin to lose it and it’s gone. As much as I did enjoy this movie, I also found it to be terribly cliché. It begins with the message that you can’t fight fate; it is something beyond our control, and even in a world where we can erase memories and alter our minds in ways we feel might benefit us, destiny will only cause these events to re-occur all over again. Which brings me to my next point, and the second cliché; everything happens for a reason. Every conversation, thought, action, etc. in our life is for a reason, it is the result of one thing, and the cause of another. Every moment is connected and for us to simply erase one or more of these occurrences, it kind of breaks the chain. So in the movie it kind of makes sense that fate would intervene and make Joel and Clementine meet again. Then comes the third and final moral of the movie; if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we’ll only repeat them. Or as many would say, those who don’t know their history are bound to repeat it. In the movie, Joel and Clementine hesitate before deciding to re-attempt their relationship, we don’t know if they are meant for each other or if they really will end up the same way as the first time around. However, the point is even if it is a mistake, it’s one that they were supposed to make. By forgetting the relationship, they forget the experience and everything that came with it, including knowledge, emotion, and development. Personally, I feel like it is our mistakes that make us who we are. Our memories are what help us advance and grow as individuals; we use them as precedent in our everyday life. That might be why I’m completely against the idea of memory erasure. I kind of see it as a form of regret; which it actually is...and I think that’s the worst thing for someone to have. Either you do something and you live and learn from the outcome, or you refrain from doing it at all in the first place...but otherwise, what Clementine did—erasing Joel from her memory, I think it was just plain stupid and cowardly. He did it, too, but not as a form of regret, but kind of a rebuttal. He was hurt and this was his response. Nevertheless, in one sentence, I disagree with the concept of “lacuna implementation.”
The art word of the week is Design or Composition. When I was thinking about which art word would be fit this movie, I read the questions outlined by Schirrmacher and Fox (2009) for design and composition which should be answered with a `yes' if a piece of work has good design and composition. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind definitely answered a yes to these questions. "Design or composition is the overall mark of success, the standard of achievement, and the frosting on the cake" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p142). Children are always designing and composing creations. They may not be able to have a lengthy discussion about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but they can discuss a book they are reading or a video they have watched. Discussions can get children thinking about what they have seen and making connections with their everyday experiences. We want children to think outside the box. We are preparing children for a future we know nothing about, so we must make sure they can be creative and imaginative.
If you want to read about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind I recommend checking out these links that can give you some information:
IMDB's page for the movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/
Wikipedia's Page for the movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Sunshine_of_the_Spotless_Mind
References:
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,CA: Delmar.
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