FILM REFERENCING

Title: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Director: Michael Gondry 

Synopsis: 

Joel finds out that his ex-girlfriend Clemenetine has undergone a procedure to forget him and the relationship they had. Joe decides to go through with the same procedure which slowly starts erasing all his memories of the both of them together in reverse chronological order. The film follows Joel reliving his time with Clementine and then he realises he no longer wants to forget her and what they had so he fights the procedure from the inside his brain. 

Sound: 

The film utilises diegetic and non-diegetic sound which blends diegetic; which in the real world sounds like a train whistle or footsteps. As well as non-diegetic sound; the film's soundtrack. Both of these together creates a blurring between Joel's memories and his current everyday reality. The film also uses sound transitions like fades and muffles within the sound to further add to the melodramatic psychological tone of the movie. 

Lighting and Colour: 

Throughout the film, the movie consists of a cool blue tone representing the film's overall melancholic and gloomy tone, especially within the early stages of the film when Joel and Clementine first meet. When it comes to lighting, the director made use of ‘in-camera’ lighting. Showing lights such as bedroom lamps, car headlights or streetlamps. The lack of potent central light throughout gives us a more intimate feel to the movie which aids to further amplifying the story. 

Camera Work and Movement: 

The film consists of long over-head and close-up shots, especially during very emotive scenes between the character or individually. The director of the film also utilises ‘symbolic framing’, using techniques like ‘prying’ shots - as if we are viewing the story through a one sided perspective. Gondry also made use of hand held and organic camera movements which gave the film a more grounded and intimate feel. The camera was able to move and follow the characters, making the film more emotional, raw and human-like; really diving into the sadness within the movie. 

Mise-en-Scene:

The most appealing aspect about the mise-en-scene of this film is the fact that the character Clementine's hair changes throughout the film; showing us her psychological and emotional state fluctuating. At the start of the film and her relationship with Joel, her hair was blue; signifying excitement and the curiosity of something new. Before she had met Joel, her hair was red, representing her character’s impulsiveness. She had orange hair throughout her rougher days in her relationship. Then once her and Joel had broken up and all their memories were gone, she had green hair to signify her distance and dissociation from people and generally the world. The film's non-linear narrative structure as well as this aspect of mine-en-scene added to show Clementine’s instability.