The World Forgetting, By The World Forgot.

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2010)

I love this show. It has, in my opinion one flaw. That is that it appears to the layperson to be a movie with a deep complex meaning that it is trying to get across. The truth, however, is that it is a movie with a very simple and basic message to share, and it does so in a very unique way, which is why it is so easily misunderstood.
The simple story is about a guy and a girl who become bored with their relationship, have an argument, and happen to live in a world where one can erase their memories. When Clementine erases Joel from her memory, the pain is too much for Joel to bear and he decides he wants her erased from his memory as well. The unique part of the movie is the way the couple's relationship is told. We see their relationships as memories inside of Joel's dreams as they are being erased. So we are at the same time seeing the past and present, such that the two blend together. During the procedure, Joel quickly passes through the bad memories and as he starts to relive the good ones, the keep being taken from him. This prompts him to change his mind, but unfortunately he is unable to wake up and stop the procedure. He tries to hide with Clementine so he can save a part of her, but the doctors keep catching up to him and in the end he loses. He wakes up the next day with no recollection of who Clementine is or anything. On impulse, however he decides to ditch work and go to the beach where he and Clementine first met. Lo and behold, Clementine is also there. They meet again and fall in love again. But when they get home they find out what they have done by receiving their files from a disgruntled secretary. As they listen to themselves talking about how miserable they were with the other, they almost decide not to give it another chance. But the last moments they decide that they don't care about that.
The show's appeal to me is mostly emotional. It is truly tragic to watch as Joel's memories are taken from him. Especially when he wakes up but can't speak to tell them to please stop and as they drug him again all he can do is cry. I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock where the guy is paralyzed but they think he is dead and he is forced to lay in a coffin with the impending threat of being buried alive. There is a similar story by Stephen King except the man is forced to sit through his own autopsy. The simple message is that good memories are worth reliving, even if they lead to pain. Pain can be reconciled and worked through. There are other messages one can take from the show, but to me this is the one that resonates with me. I do also love that they end up falling in love again and are subconsciously drawn to places that have special meaning to them both. I don't believe in the theory that there is only one person for everyone (soulmates or whatever) but I do believe that when one finds their match, then there is only one person that can define what love means to you.
The other thing about the movie that appeals to me is the very original and unique way of telling the story. The story is the same old love movie yes, but the writing is amazing. The idea very one of a kind. It is the type of movie that you probably need to watch at least twice to really follow, but once you understand that everything is happening in the present, including the memories, then it is easy to following along and enjoy the story.
A few more tidbits about the other story lines. That Lacuna company has some serious ethical issues. They have sex while working on clients, inter-office relationships, stealing panties and identities, not to mention the ethical and moral issues brought up by the whole premise of erasing people's memories. Also, Kate Winslet was pretty good lookin in those white gogo boots and that 70's dress. All in all a very entertaining movie. I give it a 10 out of 10.