Sabina Holtby - Reflections on The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The topics covered in class have been very relevant in my life. It amazes me how I walk into class and the lecture before the film is always something that has been on my mind all week. This is especially true of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I had been working on figuring out my emotions, identifying them and naming them. When the lecture began I was amazed at how the material spoke right into my life.
When the film began I was drawn in by the almost documentary style camera work and the raw reality feel of the film. It was about real people who were struggling to do the right thing and to live their lives the best they could. The interesting thing about the movie was in spite of the feeling of ‘raw reality’ the film was largely psychological, meant to let you feel rather than know. It was interesting to see how the characters minds worked.
It is very frightening to let someone see how your mind works. I discovered this about myself earlier this year, I have always thought that I was afraid of thinking, but I am really afraid of thinking with others. That is one reason we need film and other arts, so that we can feel less alone, like we can know that other people feel the same way you do even if you cannot express it.