THE TRUMAN SHOW
dir: Peter Weir
"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented. It's as simple as that." - Christof
Brief Synopsis
Truman is a regular guy with a desk job, a wife, and a nice home. However, his life begins to move out of control when he begins to discover that his entire life is just a reality TV show.
Why It's Here
"The Truman Show" could possibly be one of the most unique concepts for a film to be released in the 1990's, and this is the same decade that gave birth to "The Matrix". Peter Weir's "Truman Show" infuses the comic sensibilities of Jim Carrey with a bizarre critique on television, advertising, and religion. Acting as Jim Carrey's first real stray from over-the-top comedic actor, his toned down humor still works in making him a charming person that's believable to be someone that audiences would sit around and watch all day.
The show within the film is an un-edited 24/7 streaming program of Truman just living, what is most remarkable about this concept is that it pre-dates the powerful rise in reality TV with shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother", predicting that people would grow tired of actors and fake melodrama, instead feasting upon real people in real situations. "The Truman Show" gives first indication of this desire, the moral tone of the film remains upbeat and lightly comedic, yet it is clear that the utopia built for Truman is a prison, and any attempt at escape is aggressively halted by the show's undercover security.
Truman is unaware of his super stardom and accepts the oddball behaviors and the discouragements of others as ordinary. As the creator of the program, Christof, explains, Truman believes the reality with which he is presented. He believes in the negative words of others regarding exploration of the outside world and he accepts it when people are suddenly ripped out of his life (for releasing too much information). His life is in parallel with Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Truman perceives what is around him as reality and anything out of the ordinary has a convenient answer, much like the cave dwellers Plato speaks of, they know what they can see and hear, and once a new knowledge is brought upon them, once they gain more knowledge, they first recoil and then slowly embrace it and never look at their old way of existence the same again. As soon as Truman begins to suspect the false nature of his world, after repeated warnings from people in his past and a few freak occurrences, Truman begins to realize that nothing is as it seems, which is where the film picks up and becomes exciting.
Weir's film has many elements suggesting it's all about maturing, Truman begins seeing the world in a new light and his old way of thinking is finally revealed as false as Santa is to children. And yet, the film ends with a more religious focus than merely a theme of "maturing". When Christof speaks to Truman, he speaks through speakers out of the sky which is beaming rays of light. He says "I am the creator... of a TV program" in a thunderous voice from within the "moon" in the sky. The religious allegory is not difficult to pick up on, and yet it is still fascinating. As the creator, he promises Truman a perfect life with nothing to be afraid of, he will take care of him and the world will revolve around him, all he has to do is plead ignorance to the outside world he has become aware of; in the dome, Truman has his own private Eden. And yet, the film chooses to direct itself in a way where Truman refuses to be constrained and bound by the "creator", instead he seeks knowledge, exploration, and understanding, and with that he chooses to leave, leaving behind his creator and his utopia, fully accepting a world of imperfections and problems and walks up a stairway painted in the clouds; a metaphorical "stairway to heaven".
What is relieving is that director Peter Weir does not make the metaphors of religion or the theme of threatening television overbearing or distracting. The film is light-spirited and enjoyable with a comedic sense of control and constraint which is refreshing from the usual play on this theme with an aggressively bleak oppressive force working against the freedom fighting protagonist. "The Truman Show" is a powerful message commenting on entertainment versus reality and lifestyle with humourous jabs at product placement and a sense that freedom is achievable to those who truly want it, as Christof admits, he could not stop Truman if he truly desired the truth. He may not have known the truth to those words, but they are in fact true.
The show within the film is an un-edited 24/7 streaming program of Truman just living, what is most remarkable about this concept is that it pre-dates the powerful rise in reality TV with shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother", predicting that people would grow tired of actors and fake melodrama, instead feasting upon real people in real situations. "The Truman Show" gives first indication of this desire, the moral tone of the film remains upbeat and lightly comedic, yet it is clear that the utopia built for Truman is a prison, and any attempt at escape is aggressively halted by the show's undercover security.
Truman is unaware of his super stardom and accepts the oddball behaviors and the discouragements of others as ordinary. As the creator of the program, Christof, explains, Truman believes the reality with which he is presented. He believes in the negative words of others regarding exploration of the outside world and he accepts it when people are suddenly ripped out of his life (for releasing too much information). His life is in parallel with Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Truman perceives what is around him as reality and anything out of the ordinary has a convenient answer, much like the cave dwellers Plato speaks of, they know what they can see and hear, and once a new knowledge is brought upon them, once they gain more knowledge, they first recoil and then slowly embrace it and never look at their old way of existence the same again. As soon as Truman begins to suspect the false nature of his world, after repeated warnings from people in his past and a few freak occurrences, Truman begins to realize that nothing is as it seems, which is where the film picks up and becomes exciting.
Weir's film has many elements suggesting it's all about maturing, Truman begins seeing the world in a new light and his old way of thinking is finally revealed as false as Santa is to children. And yet, the film ends with a more religious focus than merely a theme of "maturing". When Christof speaks to Truman, he speaks through speakers out of the sky which is beaming rays of light. He says "I am the creator... of a TV program" in a thunderous voice from within the "moon" in the sky. The religious allegory is not difficult to pick up on, and yet it is still fascinating. As the creator, he promises Truman a perfect life with nothing to be afraid of, he will take care of him and the world will revolve around him, all he has to do is plead ignorance to the outside world he has become aware of; in the dome, Truman has his own private Eden. And yet, the film chooses to direct itself in a way where Truman refuses to be constrained and bound by the "creator", instead he seeks knowledge, exploration, and understanding, and with that he chooses to leave, leaving behind his creator and his utopia, fully accepting a world of imperfections and problems and walks up a stairway painted in the clouds; a metaphorical "stairway to heaven".
What is relieving is that director Peter Weir does not make the metaphors of religion or the theme of threatening television overbearing or distracting. The film is light-spirited and enjoyable with a comedic sense of control and constraint which is refreshing from the usual play on this theme with an aggressively bleak oppressive force working against the freedom fighting protagonist. "The Truman Show" is a powerful message commenting on entertainment versus reality and lifestyle with humourous jabs at product placement and a sense that freedom is achievable to those who truly want it, as Christof admits, he could not stop Truman if he truly desired the truth. He may not have known the truth to those words, but they are in fact true.