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The Truman
Show
by Karl
Bowman and Jonathan Walker
Ever
had the feeling that someone was watching you? Like 5 billion people?
At birth, an
entertainment company adopts Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) to "star"
in a television show documenting every moment of his life. The show's
producer, Christof (Ed Harris), fabricates a whole world in an effort
to evoke honest human behavior from the unwitting Truman. A series
of suspicious events cause Truman to suspect that life is not what
it seems and he embarks on a quest for the truth.
Certainly one
of the best films of the last few years, The Truman Show
has the additional distinction of a powerful, affirming theme. In
some ways, it even works as a spiritual allegory for our own lives.
Christof:
"Cue the sun!"
As creator of
Truman's world, Christof controls the sun, the weather, the water,
and even the behavior of Seahaven's inhabitants, but he is a total
fraud. He is off from God, or "Christ-off". Unlike the benevolent
God, he controls his creation with cold technology, calculation,
and a disrespect of Truman's agency. Time and time again, he thwarts
Truman's righteous desires and manipulates him for his own purpose.
Christof:
"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented."
Although Truman
lives in a totally fabricated world, he is a "True-man". At one
point, he asks Christof, "Is any of it real?" Christof replies,
"You are." Truman is the only genuine element in this contrived
television show. Like any child of God, he lives his life in the
pursuit of happiness. His pain and his joy is always real, although
the plots behind them are not.
Sylvia:
"Look at what you've done to him!"
Christof:
"I have given Truman the chance to lead a normal life.
The world, the place you live in, is the sick place."
When strange
occurrences begin to reveal the work of Christof, Truman senses
that his God-given agency is in jeopardy. He recalls unexplained
events from his past and begins to make connections. He quickly
devises tests which further reveal the mechanism behind his environment.
This is a terrible revelation, but his intense determination forces
him to continue his quest. He is not sure what he will find, but
he believes that the truth will indeed set him free.
Christof is
not an easy foe. He has taken precautions to insure the show, giving
Truman a mortal fear of water. And of course, he has surrounded
Seahaven with water. The only way for Truman to escape this conniving
trap is to overcome his greatest fear.
Christof severely
underestimates the determination of the human spirit. Truman battles
against all odds to arrive at the edge of the outside world, stripping
Christof of his omnipotence (or his illusion of it).
Truman is faced
with the ultimate temptation to abandon his quest. Could Seahaven
really be better than the real world where pain and sorrow await?
Is Truman willing to sacrifice all that he has known in order to
be true to the knowledge he has gained? Will "The Truman Show" go
on?
The
Filmmakers
Screenwriter
Andrew Niccol gives us a fascinating tale that helps us ponder about
who we really are and the purposes of life. Small touches like Christof's
use of a single name contributes to that character's pride and gives
the film depth.
As the jaded
Hollywood producer, Ed Harris turns in a chilling performance. His
Christof is a complex and fascinating antagonist because his work
has consumed him. He truly believes he is doing Truman a favor by
keeping him in the dark. He also believes that he is providing a
great service in keeping the show on the air at all costs.
Jim Carrey gives
a phenomenal dramatic performance as Truman. Beyond his obvious
star power, Carrey brings a wide-eyed innocence to Truman that few
actors can achieve.
Director Peter
Weir (Dead Poets Sociey, Witness) skillfully emphasizes
what it means to truly live by comparing Truman with the viewers,
actors, and technicians of "The Truman Show". These people live
in the real world, with real problems, yet all of them passively
take their emotional cues from Truman. They forfeit life by not
living it. Even Christof, with his five thousand cameras simply
creates the best way to watch.
An Allegory
The Truman
Show can be seen as an allegory for the journey of a spiritual
life. Some might argue that there is no mention of religion or much
of God in the film. However, it deals with the nature of spiritual
living in a creative and indirect way. The essence of religion is
the belief that there is something more to reality than just the
world around us. And the essence of the spiritual life is the determination
to know it. Truman sets out to discover "things as they really are"
with the courage to search regardless of the cost, and find, regardless
of the consequence.
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© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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