You know those things you want to forget in life? Those intrusive thoughts that remind you of something said, something sad and embarrassing and unwanted and confusing. Imagine if you could erase them all. Imagine if there was technology advanced enough to rid your mind of negative emotion. Would you do it?
In Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Clementine does. She has her boyfriend, Joel Barish, erased from her memory via a non-invasive medical procedure preformed by corporation Lacuna Inc. After Barish discovers what Clementine had done, he decides to do the same, but as Lacuna staff are performing the procedure, Barish realizes he wants to hold on to his past. His subconscious wrestles with the technology to preserve the emotions he once felt for Clementine and the memories they once shared.
In DCI 180, we explored privacy and the invasiveness of modern technology. One assignment that stands out that can be paired with this movie is the Black Mirror episode “The Entire History of You.” In this episode, Liam Foxwell discovers that his wife had been cheating on him, and in order to prove it to himself, he obsessively rewinds through his memories and overanalyzes every interaction his wife has had with the other man. This eventually leads to the destruction of their marriage and his mental well being. In exploring the ability to rewind memory and erase some parts that have been deemed undesirable, this episode is quite similar to Eternal Sunshine. They’d make an informative and entertaining pair for a DCI assignment.
In addition, students should read Hossein Derakhshan’s “How Social Media Endangers Knowledge.” Although the article doesn’t specifically look at memory erasure, it will give students background on the effects current media and tech are having on society and the kind of culture they have created.
Adding Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind will provide a venue for debate. Splitting the class into two groups, each side can argue on questions regarding the implications of the ability to rid our minds of undesirable emotions. What will the long term outcome look like? Will it make our lives easier, or more robot-like? Are the Lacuna Inc tech or “grains” even possible? If it is, what are the ways that people can take advantage of it?