Film Analysis: Free Will

This film exhibits Free Will in a unique way. Through sheer determination and strong will, Joel and Clementine overcome their own brains. This film’s plot highlights the idea that if you set your mind to something, you can accomplish it. Many people would out themselves in a situation like Joel’s and as they find themselves regretting it after it’s “too late,” they simply submit to their “fate”. In other words, they let external factors control them. Instead of Joel wallowing in self- pity and giving up on the one thing that he realizes--albeit almost too late--matters to him in life, this film portrays a fighter. Someone who decided to take control of his “fate;” thereby taking control and proving “fate” doesn’t exist after all. It isn’t “too late” until you’ve fought till your last breathe.
Joel was able to fight back because the rash decision to wipe his memory, was rock bottom; there’s nowhere to go but up from there. This movie reveals that the story isn’t over, until you say it’s over. Through creativity, trial-and-error, desperation and grueling determination, Joel and Clementine were able to reshape their futures, even after they made “permanent” decisions. I find it hard to see any proof of fate in this film, because without their hard work, they never would have found each other (excluding the confounding variable of Mary, but to be fair, those tapes wouldn’t get them back