Figure 1. Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel (Jim Carrey) in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) explores love, memory, and intimacy through the lens of the complicated relationship of Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet). Clementine, a free-spirited and outspoken woman, challenges Joel’s stoic nature from the moment she meets him. Clementine’s demand for greater intimacy causes Joel to retreat deeper into his own mind. One way this withdrawal is shown onscreen is through the visual motif of Joel’s journal.
Figure 2. Missing pages from Joel’s (Jim Carrey) journal in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004)
The first time Joel’s journal is shown, it is missing pages that Joel does not remember ripping out (Figure 2). This image comes after Joel explains that he woke up confused and behaving strangley. This first glimpse of the journal is the viewer’s first clue that something unusual has occurred that Joel does not remember. This suspicion is deepened when Joel is shown writing in this journal in the very next scene, which hints that writing in this journal appears to be a habit of his (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Joel (Jim Carrey) writing a journal entry in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004)
Eventually, it is revealed that Joel and Clementine have erased each other from their minds. We learn of Joel and Clementine’s relationship through flashbacks and jumps in time. Some of these flashbacks include glimpses and narration of Joel’s journal entries (Figure 4).
Figure 4. One of Joel’s (Jim Carrey) journal entries in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004)
Initially, these pages are the only places that Joel appears to feel free to express his emotions openly. Once Joel remembers his relationship with Clementine and actively tries to rekindle it, the journal is not shown again. He no longer relies on the journal to express his emotions because he now shares them with Clementine.
Author Biography
Christian E. Gainey is a senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington majoring in Film and minoring in Creative Writing. She aspires to pursue a career in editing and screenwriting.
