‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is an unforgettable film directed by Michel Gondry. This film explores the idea of implementing a medical procedure that completely wipes a patient’s memories of another person. Clementine (played by Kate Winslet) and Joel (played by Jim Carrey) both undergo this procedure to forget each other after they break up. After wiping each other from their memories, they meet and fall in love again.

Not only does this film leave its mark due to its incredible cinematography, script, and themes, but also because it leaves viewers questioning. Who would I erase? Would I want to erase them? What if I was erased? How would such a procedure alter my life? All of these questions lead me to the biggest question: Would implementing this procedure save millions from distress, or would it destroy the ability of people to live, learn, and grow?

I decided to create a poll using several people at the College of the Desert. I asked 47 individuals what they would think about implementing this procedure and why they would or would not want it implemented in today’s society.

Of the 47 individuals I interviewed, 21 of them wished to implement this procedure while 26 of them were against it. Many reasons were provided regarding both sides of the poll. Those who said they would implement this procedure shared their personal experiences, describing the pain of their heartbreaks, the trauma they wished could be erased and the unnecessary heart aches that linger even years after incidents happen.

Those who were against implementing this procedure described the strengths they developed from painful times, how they learned to love appropriately from heartbreak, how they would feel if they were erased from someone else’s memories, and how learning how to cope with their pain made them better and stronger people overall.

This film creates food for thought for all viewers. On one hand, those who voted for having the procedure argued that it could be highly beneficial to erase specific memories and people from one’s life with the correct rules and safety regulations. Millions could be saved from horrific distress with the implementation of such a procedure. On the other hand, those who voted no to having this procedure begged questions like: How can we know how to look out for signs of bad people, danger, and warning signs of traumatic/heartbreaking scenarios if we all erase that knowledge from our brain?

‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is a timeless film that provides wonder for what could be. Depending on your outlook and perspectives, the question of whether implementing this procedure would save millions from distress or destroy the ability for people to love, learn, and grow can be answered either way. Similar to love and life itself, for some, it may relieve, while for others, it may destroy.