Eternal Sunshine is taking advantage of senses literature just can’t hope to stimulate. In addition, the viewer is hit by the bluesy piano backdrop, and then Joel’s sad, sad voice weeps out of the speakers. Along with the blue filter, the objects in the first scene are overwhelmingly of a cool hue. But Joel makes a bold move he ditches work and takes a train out to the beach where he begins to cure his sadness.Īlready from this first scene Eternal Sunshine exemplifies the movie medium and sets its tone to be anti-industrial. It’s Valentines day “a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap” (Eternal Sunshine). The tone of his voice drips with sadness as he reads from his diary entry. Joel only groans, sticks a passive aggressive “Thank you!” note on the car next to his, and then drives off to work. Slow, lonesome piano music accompanies him out the door to his car, which has been badly scraped. We can immediately tell Joel isn’t in a happy man, for the audience looks at Joel through an aggressively blue filter. Relatable, working man protagonist Joel Barish, wakes up in his barren apartment. But, it is mostly through Eternal Sunshine’s characters can the average person can hope to overcome the temptation blissful ignorance has to offer, and see that they live their lives to happier more fulfilled ends.Ī good place to start is the beginning. Eternal Sunshine takes advantage of similar elements used in writing, such as dialogue and symbolism, but it also incorporates elements from its own media, such as music, surrealist scene transitions, lighting, and costuming to reinforce its message. Eternal Sunshine provides a shining example that movies can match great works of literature. From all these valuable transformations of self Eternal Sunshine exemplifies, it proves itself to be ‘great work of art’. The difference between the characters in Eternal Sunshine and the ordinary individual, is that they realize their happiness won’t come by forgetting what they once had, but by reflecting on it. This act, literal in the movie, represents the process most individuals undergo after a relationship: shredding pictures, treating their old partner as strangers on the street, and pushing down memories. They choose to permanently erase their partners from their memories. Each of these characters deals with their painful separations in the same way. Eternal Sunshine critiques apathy through its protagonist Joel Barish, and side character Mary Svevo. It is an obstacle that disguises itself in short-term bliss, but produces long-term suffering. Eternal Sunshine accuses apathy as the ultimate obstacle for human happiness. Eternal Sunshine shows the introspective viewer the rewards yielded from confronting your past, and the costs of blocking your memories. Can a movie be a great work or art, or does its format prevent it from reaching the same heights as great works of literature? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a movie that confronts an issue most will face in their lives, the excruciating process of separating with someone who previously completed you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |