Maine Film Center / Railroad Square Cinema Waterville, ME
Dr. Erika Nyhus
Professor in the Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind— How do we remember?
Program Description
A discussion of the neural processes involved in episodic memory. Part of the 2017 National Evening of Science on Screen.
Presented At
Maine Film Center / Railroad Square Cinema Waterville, ME
Film Synopsis
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a procedure to have each other erased from their memories. But it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.
Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her. From acclaimed writer Charlie Kaufman and visionary director Michel Gondry, this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns, and breakthroughs won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
About the Speaker
Dr. Erika Nyhus is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience at Bowdoin College.Her research focuses on the neural processes involved in higher-level cognition, including executive functioning and episodic memory. She received her BA in psychology and anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2003, and an MA and PhD in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010.