The turmoil surrounding the ending of a relationship is universal. For this reason t is well-covered territory in popular culture. Tales of heartbreak and reconciliation are a staple of the Hollywood film industry. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Happy Together (1997) both describe conventional situation using unconventional narrative styles. Eternal Sunshine, directed by music video director Michael Gondry, uses science fiction and the idea of memory loss to convey the upheaval in the relationship between its protagonists Joel and Clementine. Happy Together also utilizes memory, through the use of voice over narration, in its more realist portrayal of Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing. Both of these films center on the alienation common to most breakups; one feels disconnected from one's former partner and potentially the environment around oneself. The overall narratives both seem a bit off kilter, due to the editing and lighting as well as unconventional casting, which highlights the theme of disconnection.
[...] Therefore her turn to comedy in Eternal Sunshine is, in the mind of the average viewer, a jump for her. Clementine is slightly unbalanced, fun, and adventurous. With ever changing hair color, she is the perfect foil for Carrey's drab Joel. She is very different from the classic parts Winslet is most famous for. This casting, like Carrey's, adds to the likeability of what could have been a very abrasive character, but most importantly it shows the quirkiness of the narrative. [...]
[...] Therefore casting Chung, technically, was casting to type, but in the modern sense of the term typeage, the general expected role for an actor based on physical appearance and past work, this wasn't exactly a conventional casting. Though it was not as shocking to see Chung playing this role as Leung, because the public was aware of his sexual orientation, the explicitness of the movie, as well as its departure from his usual work could have been surprising to some viewers. [...]
[...] These elements allow a viewer to relate to the characters and their environments as real things instead of artificial constructions. This relate-ability is the source of the narratives' real power. Although they are unconventional in style, they are also universal. The two directors have created worlds that despite shifting colors and memory erasing machines feel real, and couples that, however dysfunctional, a viewer can understand. Works Cited Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Dir. Michael Gondry. Writ. Charlie Kaufman, Michael Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth. Perf. [...]
[...] The difference between the two though is that Ho Po-wing and Lai Yiu-fai start over completely aware of every detail of their past relationship. Clementine and Joel get to actually “start over” without any knowledge of the past. Except of course that in the middle of their new start Mary gives them back their memories of their messy breakup. Essentially at the end of the film Joel and Clementine make the same decision that Ho Po-wing and Lai Yiu-fai make at the beginning of Happy Together; they decide to start over knowing the problems they will eventually have to face. [...]
[...] This emphasizes the bleakness of their situation, repeating the same arguments again and again and gives the impression, like the blanket scene in Eternal Sunshine, of the viewer as voyeur into a real relationship. Wong uses shots of this harsh natural lighting again in the soccer scene in the alley. Here it serves, like the flashbulb in Joel's memory, to indicate the confusion of the players and include the viewer in the scene. The other important use of lighting in Happy Together is the motif of the lamp of the falls. [...]
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