Review of The Truman Show (1998) by Amanda C — 18 Feb 2018

The Truman Show, released in 1998 is the story about an insurance adjuster who starts discovering that his life and the people in it may not be as they seem and he subsequently begins to unravel. The movie made me feel incredibly compelled.

Throughout the whole film, I found myself paying more and more attention to the details - watching the ways in which they created this world, as well as to how Truman was reacting to the environment he was in.

I thought that it was an incredibly well done film that was so well thought out. It was one of those films where you could tell that every single piece and detail was intentional. The acting, especially that of Jim Carrey's was phenomenal.

I enjoyed the scene in the beginning of the film where he was about to get on the ferry, but was unable to do so. His physicalization of not being able to get on the boat and showing how that affected him gave us so much insight into his character and where he was coming from.

The story and the writing did such a great job setting up moments of conflict and heightening the tension. I particularly enjoyed when Truman is setting out to sea and Christof deliberately keeps making the weather worse, in an effort to deter Truman.

In terms of directing, I thought that the film was very well executed. The shots chosen were so interesting and added to the intrigue of the story, and how this made-up world operates. I particularly enjoyed shots such as the one that is set in Truman's dashboard that follows him while he drives.

I also enjoy the shot that looks like it is set up within a billboard outside of Truman's work. It is these aspects that make us feel that we are a part of Truman's world and allow us to be more invested in the film.

As far as the genre is concerned, I feel that this film would classify as a drama. Commercially, I feel that this movie would likely appeal more to people within the 20-30's age range. This film came out at a time when reality television was new and up and coming, so I feel that at the time it was something that a lot of individuals would feel intrigued by.

It displays a new world and environment that is unbeknownst to us.