High Schoolers Review: The Truman Show
Andreas Babiolakis of Films Fatale gave a lecture on Peter Weir’s The Truman Show to the 11-12 dramatic arts class at Markville Secondary School. Here are a few selected student reviews that we would like to share that stemmed from this class.
Eloquently Written Escape From Reality
Written by Sophia Grombanopoulos
After meticulously observing the dramatic elements of The Truman Show by Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol, it can be concluded that the carefully calculated exchanges of words between characters effectively come together to create a well-written narrative.
First, the screenwriter successfully constructs the script to engage the audience and lead up to climaxes of the film. For instance, at the beginning of the movie, Truman Burbank is filmed sitting in his cubicle as he inches closer toward his phone and hunches over to whisper very quietly, favorably demonstrating his desire to keep his efforts a secret. Upon almost being caught by his coworker, he asks, “Do you have a listing for Lauren Garland? How about Sylvia?” (Weir). As Truman is told there are no listings in Fiji under the names, he accurately reveals his grave disappointment through his dejected tone and blank, emotionless face. As the audience has yet to meet Truman’s forbidden love, the monologue successfully serves to cause curiosity amongst viewers leading up to Sylvia’s appearance and briefly indicate how his past shapes his character, especially with Jim Carrey’s captivating acting.
Not only does the screenwriter bring to life Truman’s internal conflicts and character, Andrew Niccol flawlessly designs an unlikable antagonist through meaningfully placed bouts of dialogue within the film. Meryl consistently displays her insincere attitude and suspicious perfectionism to emphasize the counterfeit life Truman is living. For example, she appears at the house in a tidy nurse’s outfit with a crisp white bicycle smiling from ear to ear. At once, Meryl is quick to advertise a product as she cries, “Look at what I got free at the checkout! It’s a chef’s pal. It’s a grater, dicer, peeler, all in one! Never needs sharpening. Dishwasher safe” (Weir) in an overly excited tone commonly used in commercials. Laura Linney’s skilled acting is significant to the film as her superficiality works to remind the audience that Truman is being recorded at all times, even when the filmmakers do not make it obvious through camera angles.
In addition, the engaging script presents Jim Carrey and Natascha McElhone with the opportunity to develop clear relationships and motives for their respective characters. On the show, Truman is depicted studying for finals until he eagerly recognizes a familiar bracelet with wide eyes, breathing heavily to reinforce the nervousness of his character. As Sylvia notices his presence, her smile grows exceedingly larger, exhibiting her thorough admiration for Truman. While the two converse softly with deep gazes of affection, Sylvia is rather timid and weary of her surroundings as she shields her face, consistently emphasizing the danger of being seen with him. Prior to leaving the library, Truman compliments Sylvia on her “How’s it going to end?” pin and ironically mentions that he wonders the same in an effort to foreshadow the film’s conclusion. After escaping to the beach, Sylvia warns with fast-paced words, “Everybody knows everything you do. They’re pretending, Truman…Get out of here. Come and find me” (Weir). Not only does she leave behind her red sweater, but Sylvia also ignites a dream of leaving Seahaven and suspicion of Truman’s environment. The realistic and explicit feelings toward characters and circumstances permit the audience to further enjoy the well-planned narrative. In particular, the dialogue between characters continuously enhances the storyline within the film.
After finally being encouraged to question his surroundings, Truman is filmed in his car alongside Meryl, who is noticeably nervous at the sight of her uncomfortable, forced smiles and laughs. Examining his reality with annoyance, Truman predicts that “a lady with a red bike, followed by a man with flowers, and a Volkswagen with a dented fender [will appear]” (Weir). Truman experiences immense character development as he slowly comes to his senses despite his wife’s responses of denial. Again, objectives are distinctly outlined as the rocky dynamic between the couple continues to highlight Truman’s longing to break free and Hannah’s preference to keep him chained to the rhythm for her benefit.
Lastly, the powerful conversation between Christof and Sylvia alludes to the contrasting desires of the protagonists as opposed to the antagonists. Specifically, Cristof reveals that he generates staggering revenue through product placement. At the same time, he discloses the main message of the film by revealing that Truman has not discovered the true nature of his surroundings as “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented” (Weir). From there, Sylvia passionately criticizes him with a loud, aggressive tone, pacing in her bedroom with a distressed look on her face as she exclaims, “He’s not a performer. He’s a prisoner” (Weir), which stresses her yearning for him to be set free. Followed by her remark, Christof calmly foretells the end of the film by mentioning that Truman could leave at any time if only he is determined to find the truth. Thus, the script is carefully crafted to receive an emotional response from the audience and further build on previous scenes.
In conclusion, the variety of monologues and dialogues within the film cohesively form a compelling tale as all actors are suited for their roles with adequate facial and vocal expressions. Also, there are no scenes or delivered lines that do not have meaning or connection to one another. The script accurately reflects character and relationship development while subtly reminding the audience of the overarching message of the film.
A Critique on The Truman Show
Written by Shriya Pratinidhi
Today, I would like to talk to you about Director Peter Weir’s The Truman Show: a piece of work from 1998 that accurately predicts how popular the concept of reality TV would eventually come to be. In my opinion, both the filmmakers, as well as the main cast members who helped bring this science fiction comedy-drama to life, do a wonderful job in getting the audience to blindly accept whatever is presented to them at first, which is a somewhat normal world that revolves around Truman, who is supposed to be a nice everyman. In fact, the beginning of the film starts off with Christof explaining how he is bored of actors giving phoney emotions and saying, “While the world he [Truman] inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there’s nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn’t always Shakespeare, but it’s genuine. It’s a life.” Then, a set of opening credits display on the screen. In a way, what Christof says, as well as the credit sequence that gets shown on the screen, prompt the audience to assume that maybe this film is just a sitcom view of Truman’s life. However, once the plot slowly unravels, it becomes evident that what the audience might have assumed is wrong, as, one, the opening credits are not for the real film The Truman Show, but for the TV show The Truman Show: a television series within the actual film itself, and, two, Christof is not a third-person narrator, but actually the creator of both the TV show The Truman Show and Seahaven Island, which is the place Christof keeps Truman in for as long as possible by ensuring he cannot escape it.
As I mentioned earlier, what the audience initially sees is a somewhat normal world that follows Truman’s lifestyle, so even Truman’s objective to go to Fiji seems somewhat normal until the true plot of the film is revealed: Truman’s entire life is a “never-ending” television series that is broadcasted 24/7, and he needs to figure this out on his own, especially if he is wants answers. Ultimately, when he notices that some things seem extremely strange about his life (e.g. the people on the elevator, the absence of a backing on the elevator, the radio talking about Truman’s each and every move, the doctor failing to operate on his patient, the patient being conscious during her surgery, the travel agent failing to book a flight to Fiji, and the bus experiencing a “problem”, etc), he does figure out on his own that his life is not what he originally thought it was. He explains to his wife Meryl, “Look. I predict that, in just a moment, we’ll see a lady on a red bike, followed by a man with flowers, and a Volkswagen with a dented fender.”
After that, in a frustrated manner, he also says, “Do you want to know how I did that? They’re on a loop. They go around the block, they come back, they go around again.” Right after, in an almost singing voice, he says, “These people just go round and round.” While saying this, he forces a fake smile on his face and even uses his index finger to draw a circular motion in the air. This proves that Truman is slowly becoming more aware of what is happening around him. Later on in that scene, he exposes his crazy side by trying to act spontaneously, and this is interesting to see since the audience is quite used to seeing his kind, common man self for the most part. While driving aggressively, he asks Meryl, “Blocked at every turn. Beautifully synchronized, don’t you agree?” Meryl asks if he is blaming her for the traffic, and to that, Truman just says, “Should I?” After this, she rests her hand on his shoulder, and says, “Truman, let’s go home.” Truman agrees with her and says, “You’re right. We could be stuck here for hours… Let’s go back.”
As soon as Meryl hears this, she sighs, feels relieved, and smiles. In a calm manner, Truman sincerely apologizes and tells her that he does not know what had gotten into him. However, a few seconds later, he stops being calm, drives aggressively again, misses a turn that leads to their house, and says, “I changed my mind. What’s New Orleans like this time of the year?” Right after, he yells, “Mardi Gras! Wooooo!” While saying this, he honks aggressively, laughs hysterically with his tongue sticking out, and shakes his head back and forth. Once he finishes doing that, in a sarcastic manner, he says, “Look, Meryl! Same roads. No cars. It’s magic.” This is the first time the audience sees Truman behave as if he is a manic madman.
Although Truman does want to go to Fiji, going to Fiji is not his main objective: his main objective is to actually meet Sylvia, who, unlike Meryl, is the real love of his life. This becomes clear when there is a flashback to the time when Truman and Sylvia kiss. During that scene, Sylvia’s “father” drives in on Truman kissing Sylvia. Then, she starts breathing fast and talking fast. As her eyes widen, she frighteningly warns Truman, “Truman, listen to me. Everyone knows about– everyone knows everything you do. They’re pretending, Truman. Do you understand? No, no, no. My name’s not Lauren. It’s Sylvia… Everything I told you is the truth. It’s fake. It’s all for you. The sky and the sea. Everything is a set. It’s a show.”
After that, Sylvia’s father sits her in the car, but this does not stop her from trying to get Truman’s attention, as she taps the car’s window and honks twice. Her “father” tells Truman that she has schizophrenia and that she brings all of her boyfriends at the place they are in. This results in Truman scrunching his eyebrows and feeling shocked. After this, Sylvia says, “Truman, what’s he saying? Truman, he’s lying. Get out of here. Come and find me.” Truman tells her that he will see her in school, but her “father” says, “We’re moving to Fiji.” Ever since then, he has not only been trying his best to come to Fiji, but also ripping out women’s magazine pages that contain faces of women who share similar facial features to Sylvia in order to create a collage that accurately resembles her face.
Now, I would like to point out one out of the many scenes where Jim Carrey demonstrates phenomenal acting. The scene that I am referring to is the one that takes place right after the incident that occurs at the nuclear power plant emergency (i.e. Truman runs into the forest despite hearing a police officer tell him that the whole area is being evacuated due to a leak at the plant). Once a few police officers catch up to Truman, they drop him off at his house and tell Meryl that charges will be filed next time. Then, Meryl sympathetically looks at Truman, who seems exhausted, and says, “Let me get you some help, Truman. You’re not well.” Truman asks her, “Why do you want to have a baby with me? You can’t stand me.” After hearing this, Meryl disagrees with him, and, in a little louder voice, says, “That’s not true.” Subsequently, she turns around, picks up a can of Mococoa, and faces Truman again. This time, she forces a big smile on her face as her eyes widen. She says, “Why don't you let me fix you some of this new Mococoa drink? All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua, no artificial sweeteners.” Truman makes a confused face, turns his head to see if anyone else is in the room, and asks, “What the hell are you talking about?” In a louder voice, he asks, “Who are you talking to?” Meryl acknowledges what he says, but continues being cheerful.
In the same forced happy tone as before, she says, “I’ve tasted other cocoas. This is the best.” Truman raises his voice out of anger again, and asks, “What the hell does this have to do with anything?” While saying this, he gets up out of his chair and approaches Meryl. Meryl realizes he is furious, so she takes a step back every time Truman tries getting close to her by taking one step forward. Truman furiously scrunches his eyebrows, and screams, “Tell me what’s happening!” Meryl continues walking backwards, and nervously says, “Well, you’re having a nervous breakdown. That’s what’s happening.” In a less louder voice than before, Truman points his index finger at Meryl, and asks, “You’re part of this, aren’t you?” Meryl quickly looks at the kitchen countertop, sees a knife, peeler, and shredder, grabs all of them, and points them at Truman’s face. Truman gasps, and says, “Meryl.” Meryl says, “Truman. You. Are. Scaring. Me.”
While taking a pause between her words, she points the sharp objects at Truman’s face even closer than before each time. Truman tries avoiding getting poked in the face, and, in a quieter voice, he says, “No. You’re scaring me, Meryl.” Then, he makes his psychopathic face again and resumes speaking loudly. He asks, “What are you going to do? Dice me? Slice me? So many choices!” He says “choices” in an even louder voice, and while doing so, he turns Meryl around so that she is almost choked. Meryl screams to the camera, “Do something.” Truman is surprised by this strange behavior, and asks, “What?” Afterwards, he lets go of Meryl, turns her around so that she is facing him, and holds her wrist very tightly. He asks her, “What did you say? Who were you talking to?” Meryl is terrified and does not know how to respond, so she panics, and says, “Nothing. I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything.” Truman says, “You said, ‘Do something.’” Meryl feels intimated. She lies to him, and says, “No, I didn’t. I wasn’t talking to anybody.” She pushes Truman’s tight hand off of her and runs to the door.
Truman feels infuriated, pins Meryl against the wall so that she is trapped, and screams, “Talk to me!” Meryl feels terrorized, and, in a crying manner, exclaims “Truman, I don’t know anything! Please stop!” Suddenly, someone knocks on Truman’s main door. Truman holds Meryl even tighter, and says, “Stay where you are.” Then, Marlon comes in with bottles of beer. He sees how Truman has trapped Meryl, and, in a surprised manner, says, “Truman.” Meryl quickly runs to Marlon, hugs him tightly, and sobs. She cries, “Oh my God. How can anyone expect me to carry on under these conditions? It's unprofessional!” Marlon hugs her back to comfort her, and says, “Everything will be okay. It's all over now.” At this point, the audience can tell Truman understands that Meryl is also paid to be a part of his life just like everyone else. In my opinion, this entire scene is very powerful because the actors, especially Jim Carrey, as well as the dramatic background music, make the situation seem so intense that the audience is eager to see what happens next.
Last but not least, I would like to focus on the film’s strong, emotional ending that unfolds Truman’s personality. In the beginning of the film, the audience may view Truman as a coward because his aquaphobia, which is fear he develops after his father gets thrown overboard due to a scary storm, leads to his inability to get on a ferry that is on top of water that is not even that deep. Even before he tries driving over a bridge that is on top of water, Meryl reminds him, “Oh, Truman. You knew this would happen. You know you can’t drive over water. Let’s go home where you’ll feel safe.” During this scene, instead of driving all by himself, he places Meryl’s hands on the steering wheel and forces her to drive across the bridge. Fortunately, he conquers his aquaphobia by the end of the film. In fact, at the end of the film, when everyone thinks that he is nowhere to be found, he ends up facing his fear by sailing on a boat alone. Although he drowns for a minute, once gains consciousness, it is easy for the audience to see major development in his character based on how confident he acts after waking up again. Overall, this film is brilliant, as it has a creative plot, exceptional actors, and a remarkable message: only believe half of what you see.
The Truman Show
Written by Judy Yang
The Truman Show is a masterpiece by director Peter Weir, writer Andrew Niccol, and star Jim Carrey. Hailed as the best work of their careers, this film is a classic that integrates all the aspects of a good film with a clever premise that leaves the audience questioning the film's deeper meaning. Every element complements each other to intricately paint a picture of a world with characters that onlookers can become enamoured with. The Truman show’s beguiling writing, superb acting, and near-flawless elements of film secures its spot as one of the most memorable movies in film history.
The unique plot line and an almost obsessive attention to detail by the writers have created a story that stands out for being so well versed. The concept in this science fiction film is original but also extremely entertaining. The way Truman’s character is written allows the audience to connect with him on a personal level. If Truman feels sorrow, we feel it in our own hearts, and if Truman is happy we cannot help but smile with him. His quote when he leaves: “In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!” is clever because, after Christof’s dramatic speech, he expects an exciting answer and Truman knows it. After years of deception and trauma, his anger and resentment is expressed in these final words so clearly, as he does not give his captor the satisfaction of a legitimate response but only his well-known catchphrase as a last “screw you”. Additionally, an immaculate attention to detail is ingrained in the writing. Everything is deliberate and thought out, even Truman’s name: “true man”, hinting that he's the only real person.
The boat that Truman takes to escape his prison and enter a different life is called the “Santa Maria,” which is the same name as Christopher Columbus’ship that he used to discover “The New World”. Finally, the posters inside the travel agency warn against overseas diseases and lightning striking the plane, all to discourage Truman from traveling and keeping him inside the set. Scene after scene, the talented writers of the Truman show’s creative plot choices and amazing attention to detail moves audiences in a profound way very few films have accomplished.
Stellar actors are integral to making legendary movies, and Jim Carrey such a man. Every scene was performed with a complete understanding of the character and what the plot demanded of him. It is hard to imagine Truman as any other actor because of Carrey’s iconic persona; his almost manic exaggerated smile is perfect for this role. Truman has grown up to be this way because everyone around him over-acts, making Carrey’s dramatized character the ideal candidate. Additionally, his performance in key scenes proves again and again that he is a multifaceted actor who is at the top of his field. The reaction on Truman’s face when being told by his life-long friend that he would never lie to him is absolutely heartbreaking. It was at that moment that he knew that everyone he ever cared about was false.
Aside from Laura, he was truly alone in this world. When he spoke, his voice was strained and weak; barely above a whisper. You could see in his eyes the betrayal and raw pain he felt, glossy from the tears. In another scene when Truman’s boat crashes into the “sky,” Carrey’s brilliant acting shines through yet again. He holds his breath and reaches out to touch the wall, hands shaking. The realization that he was right all along is overwhelming. His face and body language portray a man who was called crazy by everyone he knew; his revelation and its implications were too much for him to bear. Punching the wall to no avail, Truman breaks down and cries in a masterful and heart-wrenching performance. Considering how perfect Jim Carrey was for this role, from the actor’s character to his raw talent, how he was not nominated for an Oscar is a mystery.
Finally, the film elements chosen by director Peter Weir display exceptional storytelling, with clear deliberation and thoughtfulness behind every aspect. The camera angles of the circular fisheye lens that signified tiny hidden cameras. The iconic and memorable shot of Truman through the mirror. The realistic and beautiful sets and costumes. Everything was accounted for. The lighting was exceptional; during a time of hopelessness in the storm, the atmosphere was dark and terrifying. After Truman braved the storm his hope returned and joyful lighting ensued. Best of all, the score of this movie was breath-taking. Soaring instrumentals at emotional scenes enhanced them beautifully. Every element of The Truman Show was meticulous and creative, once again proving why this film is considered one of the best.
With flawless writing, captivating acting, and intricate elements of film, the Truman Show is a masterpiece of near-perfection. The ingenuity of writer Andrew Niccol’s one-of-a-kind premise captivates viewers, the virtuosity of Jim Carrey’s acting compels them to fall in love with Truman, and the prowess of director Peter Weir teleports them into a world of his creation. As the magnum opus of all three, this Oscar-winning film will stay in the hearts of audiences for a lifetime.
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