Abstract
The screenplays of Charlie Kaufman explore possibilities of transcendence within the limits of a wholly natural world. From Being John Malkovich through Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, his characters struggle to transform their lives or to get beyond the limits of their circumstances. Most of these quests end in paradox, but some, especially in Kaufman's most recent films, point in more promising directions. In this paper, I interpret Eternal Sunshine as offering something very much like Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence as a way to transform the conditions of life from within.
Recommended Citation
Smith, David L.
(2005)
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Question of Transcendence,"
Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol9/iss1/3