Truman Show Directed by Peter

¶ … Truman Show directed by Peter Weir. Specifically it will discuss how the film raises the issue of appearances differing from reality, and how that affects the skeptic and the true believer in all of us. Truman Burbank is a true innocent in this film, trusting those around him and his own perceptions to be the truth. However, they are not. Truman is actually the victim of an elaborate hoax, and has been his entire life. The film makes the viewer think about reality, and how we perceive reality, and it raises questions about beliefs, skepticism, and how trusting each of us is when it comes to the people around us, as well.

This film presents an alternate reality that the skeptic would immediately recognize as impossible, and yet, by persuading the viewer that the situation has occurred throughout Truman's life, and he has accepted it, it shows how reality can become blurred with fiction, and that fiction can be maintained when the subjects are true believers, kind, and think only the best of those around them. That describes Truman in a nutshell. He is a good man - kind, caring, concerned about others, and genuinely nice, if a bit naive. He has no reason to question the reality around him, and he has no reason to believe anything but good about the people in his little town. He lives a charmed and happy life, even if it is not real.

Truman represents the good in everyone, and that is one reason the premise of the film works. However, as he begins to question the reality around him, and his own life, he becomes the skeptic, wondering if anything around him can be taken at face value, and of course, it cannot. Truman's case is fiction, and the skeptic would say that no one could possibly believe a life that was so "perfect" in every way. The skeptic would question the "reality" of Truman's world from the start, and actually come to the correct conclusion that it was nothing but a fantasy set up for the entertainment of others at the expense of Truman. All the other actors have "lives," (except, perhaps his wife), and they go home at the end of the day just like any other person. The skeptic would question how so many people could possibly keep such a convoluted secret, and why Truman had not figured it out ages ago. The skeptic would question Truman's goodness, and question whether anyone could possibly be that "good." That is the problem with skepticism, the skeptics cannot see good, even if it exists, while the true believers touch the other end of the spectrum, unable to see bad, or evil, even if it is all around them. That is why a little bit of both makes a person a bit more centered and able to see both sides of an issue.

The true believer would see Seahaven much as Truman does an idyllic spot where anything is possible (except leaving, of course). A true believer probably would never begin to question the perfection of this little town, as Truman does, they would simply accept things for what they were and never believe anything can go wrong. The film draws the viewer to question their own views and beliefs about reality, and that of course, is the point. The viewer has to think about what they would do in the same situation, and what they would believe, or question.

Because Truman is so likeable, the viewer (like the fictional audience in the film), roots for him to discover the truth, because it is clear he is being victimized and exploited. When he becomes suspicious, the audience wants him to learn what is really happening, mostly because he is a nice guy and this should not be happening to him. Thus, the film creates goodness in the people watching, too, because they begin to care about Truman and his feelings, and they want him to get out of the fantasy and begin to live a "real" life (if that ever could be possible for him.)

Reality is at the core of this film, and it illustrates that what is entirely real for one person can be another person's fantasy. The film makes the viewer question how they see reality, but also, the core theme is what is reality, really? Truman's life is entirely real to him, and until he begins to question his surroundings and some of the things that are happening, he is totally happy and secure in that reality. Underlying this theme is the question, what would we do if we were in the same situation as Truman? Would we be able to deal with it as effectively as he does? In essence, when he realizes that something is not right in his perfect world, his response is not really to flee, but to discover, and there is a big difference between the two. He wants to find out the truth, but also find out what lies beyond the massive soundstage that has been his home for his entire life. The audience has to feel that if the same thing happened to them, would they react in the same way? If your reality came crashing down around you, and everything you believed true for your entire life was false, could you cope? That is what makes this film so fascinating and memorable. It is entertaining, but on a much deeper level, it makes the viewer think about subjects that are not often discussed, and it makes them think just how they would handle the same situation in their own lives.

Of course, the film could have been very different. In an alternate ending, Truman might never have discovered the truth about his life. He could have remained as naive as ever and never questioned the reality around him, insinuating that he would continue in his "happy" life forever. That may not be as satisfying as his discovering the truth, but it might be closer to the character's real beliefs and composition. The story shows Truman coming to his realization gradually, through a series of events, but in "reality," would Truman have questioned those events, since he had not questioned anything for 30 years prior? Another alternate ending could have been Cristof returning Truman to the show in some sort of negotiation, in effect, holding Truman prisoner in his own reality, which would have made a very interesting, if unsatisfying, conclusion. Truly, the only way the viewer would want the story to end is for Truman to uncover the truth, that is the whole point of the film. The skeptic, however, would probably see that ending as too "happy," and would probably want to see Truman deal with his reality the way many other people do, by committing suicide or going crazy. The point remains. The ending makes the viewer question if they would have reacted the same way, and that is another aspect of this film that makes it fascinating and a bit disturbing at the same time.