Each month on my Patreon, Justin Otto runs a film group called Exposure. Exposure uses movies as a lens through which we can look at some important but difficult concepts from philosophy, theology and psychoanalysis.

I’m this month’s guest, and will be discussing the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. It’s a fascinating film about two characters who decide to erase each other from their memories in order to avoid the pain of recalling their failed relationship. Unfortunately, this attempt to get rid of suffering doesn’t go as easily as planned. As the non-linear narrative plays out across various timelines, we experience how the refusal of loss can be the most heartbreaking loss of all.