I just - I keep thinking about the people in the waiting room and the older man with the trophy - he is obviously not trying to erase the memories of his former Glory Days, we learn enough to know the procedure is limited to the removal of a specific person, so the logical conclusion is he is erasing his child.
And what could ever happen that you could do that? Did his son die and living with the memories are just too unbearable? Cause actually - the thought of losing the last thing left of a loved one (memories) strikes me as just... I don't know, the idea rips my heart apart. I couldn't imagine parting with them willingly.
So then I think - maybe this is a case of disownment - perhaps the son is now dead to the old man and what is that like? What would it be like to find out your parent erased all traces of your existence from their mind?
And I wanted the movie to go into that more, at least with the Joel character - what is that like? To have memories of knowing this other person and yet you never existed to them? To have learned and developed and shared and not have that reflected back at you and the reason isn't death - the reason is brain damage (and yeah - I kinda used to deal with people and this every single day) that they chose.
And the movie did address some of this and I really was happy that they inferred that removing someone who has affected your personality shaping so intensely leaves you floundering. I liked that Clementine was a mess and that nothing felt right or fit. I liked Joel's reaction when he finally woke up. I just wasn't that invested in them as a couple.
I am still interested in the concept - I just want it explored possibly more deeply than a film could go. I wanted a novel. And I want to know the man with the trophy - I want to know his story.
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timeasmymeasure
More On Eternal Sunshine...Spoilers
Date: 2005-07-11 07:34 pm (UTC)And what could ever happen that you could do that? Did his son die and living with the memories are just too unbearable? Cause actually - the thought of losing the last thing left of a loved one (memories) strikes me as just... I don't know, the idea rips my heart apart. I couldn't imagine parting with them willingly.
So then I think - maybe this is a case of disownment - perhaps the son is now dead to the old man and what is that like? What would it be like to find out your parent erased all traces of your existence from their mind?
And I wanted the movie to go into that more, at least with the Joel character - what is that like? To have memories of knowing this other person and yet you never existed to them? To have learned and developed and shared and not have that reflected back at you and the reason isn't death - the reason is brain damage (and yeah - I kinda used to deal with people and this every single day) that they chose.
And the movie did address some of this and I really was happy that they inferred that removing someone who has affected your personality shaping so intensely leaves you floundering. I liked that Clementine was a mess and that nothing felt right or fit. I liked Joel's reaction when he finally woke up. I just wasn't that invested in them as a couple.
I am still interested in the concept - I just want it explored possibly more deeply than a film could go. I wanted a novel. And I want to know the man with the trophy - I want to know his story.