Review of The Truman Show (1998) by Sarah C — 03 Feb 2017

By McKenna Curran, January 31, 2017.

What if you figure out that your entire life is fake; the biggest lie ever told, and everyone was in on it? The Truman Show -- The Truman Show (1998), is about a man that lives in a dome; a fake world, where his family and friends aren't really his family and friends, but just actors who grew up with him. This life of his is just a fake, with fake weather, lies about other places, recurring radio channels; all on TV. This movie got me thinking about technology, and how humans have manipulated each other. Every storm that changes the weather were all done by dials and switches.

Truman, a simple guy with a beautiful wife, a nice a house, a garden, and friendly neighbors. Each day is the same: talks to his neighbors before he leaves for work, his favorite songs are on the radio all the time; the people he interacts with are organized (i.e. he doesn't run into to anyone on his way). Before he gets into his building, he gets food from across the street. He looks at magazines and calls the travel company every day, even though he's taught that Fiji isn't a real place, but he tries anyway. Sometimes, he goes on the daily boat ride, expecting to leave town forever, but it never happens.

Once, he started to bond with a woman on the beach, but a few days later, men come and take her. After dinner, he hands out with his childhood friend, Marlon, always on the shore of the beach. Truman begins to become suspicious of this life, but Marlon reassures him that nothing's wrong. He should just calm down and go about his business. Outside Truman's believed home, the TV crew and director does a Q&A. The woman from the beach is on the phone, yelling about Truman to get into the real world.

Truman finds some of the cameras around the town; his house; figures out that the radio isn't real. So, he tries to get out of town first, but is blocked by fake guards and police. So, he hides. But, all the actors in town have to find him after a day, with directions from the director of the show, Christof. Cristof has watched Truman grow up for over 30 years, gaining fans from all over the world. Truman leaves, but it's not easy. He gets to the edge of the dome on a thunderous trip on a boat. He's talked to Christof through the loud speakers, who tries to get him to stay.

My opinion on this is that it's the kind of fiction that could totally be real; possibly even in the future. The dome would be more advanced, of course. I like this movie because of the way things work; his daily routine. He visits his mother, and sees his father. They make sure he's secure in town. I like movies because I'm a movie nerd, and this review has to be formal, but I'll try to do it like usual. It's cool because it's like a vacation. The movie is trying to perform a simple life. But, Truman is a test subject! It's weird to think about, honestly.