Buhl- Eternal Sunshine

Not only did this film relate to existentialism but also some aspects of communication that I have studied. Memories are created from our experiences, which create our reality. The Communication scholar Kenneth Burke coined a term Terministic Screen; Burke says that everyone has what is called a Terministic Screen. Each person’s individual screen is made up and shaped by personal experiences and perceptions of life; it is our Terministic Screens that shape and dictate our identity and our reality. Terministic screens explain how individuals see and relate to the world. Each person has their own shaped Terministic Screens; these screens are then molded through actions, rhetoric, and life experiences. In this instance the different memories, or realities we choose to remember shape us for future encounters. This is so closely tied with this movie; if Joel and Clementine erase each other from their minds they are destroying a part of them and their reality. Erasing their memories also is destroying their identity and what makes them who they are; my getting rid of past experiences, even if they are negative, this hinders their ability to make choices based on passed situations.

Even though by erasing each other brings to light the goodness in their relationship in the end, if that had not happened they could have fallen into an insanity track; continuing to do the same thing over and over without changing anything. By finding each other through the bad and looking towards the good they find their true selves in each other.