Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is a paradigm shift, science-fiction film about a heartbroken Joel Barish who learns that his girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski, has undergone a procedure to have her memories of him erased by a medical company called Lacuna. After this discovery, he decides to also have his memories of her erased. 1
I think of this film as paradigm shift story, as it explores the different ways the memory deletion affects the characters before and after the operation, how society changes as a result of the technology, and how the technology could be abused. For example, we learn that the technology is in higher demand during emotional parts of the year, such as February, on account of Valentine’s day. We also see one of the Lacuna technicians exploit their job to conduct identity theft. 1
There’s a very cool shot in the movie where Joel is recounting a memory that happened recently, and he’s present in the memory narrating what is happening. As the flashback ends, he walks down the hallway in the bookstore and all the lights turn off in sequence behind him as he goes through a door, re-entering the room where he was telling his friends about the memory. 1