'The world is watching' proclaims the film's tag line - an accurate assessment of audiences in 1998, albeit because they were curious to see Jim Carrey in a film that would showcase how good an actor he can be. The Truman Show would unexpectedly blow all competition out of the water and provide the nineties with a film that is intelligent, creative and, perhaps ironically, honest. "We've become bored of actors giving us phony performances, tired of pyrotechnics and special effects" insists Ed Harris' Christof in the opening frames of the film and thus commences the almost totally fabricated world that circles around it's one objectified individual - Truman Burbank (Carrey).The Truman Show, the television show of the film's title, is manipulative, a prime product of the Big Brother generation focussing on obsession with one individual who is deified and idolised by viewers across the world and imprisoned in a constricted world. Many critics believed Jim Carrey to be a one trick, gurning pony up to this point - films like Dumb and Dumber and Liar Liar, whilst hilariously funny, do little to contradict this generalisation, but this would be the first time that audiences could appreciate what happens to Carrey when he is stripped of rubber makeup and crazy catchphrases.
Alrighty then, where to begin with an analysis? The first important thing to notice about the film is the names of the central characters. The creator of the Truman Show is a man called Christof - the first half of his name deifing him alone as a God-like figure in his omnipotence, surveying Truman in his own constructed world. Truman is the other vital name in the equation. Truman is the only 'true man' in this world, the remainder of its inhabitants merely extras consciously mocking him - from his 'wife' played with delicious sardonic good humour by Laura Linney, or his supposed best friend Marlon, brought to life by Noah Emmerich. Sylvia is Truman's only saviour, a character injected with plenty of heart and warmth by Natasha McElhone. She is significantly banished from Truman's world for almost convincing him of the truth but is reunited with him as the film concludes.
As this film and Carrey's later film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) both attest, there is far more to this versatile actor than first meets the eye. Carrey characterises Truman with such humanity that he speaks out to us all. We are willing Truman to discover the truth, to escape from his prison that blinds him from reality. Like the show's viewers, embedded perfectly into the film at regular intervals, we are watching Truman live out his life. We enter Truman's life on day 10,909 and immerse ourselves in his story. Truman Show arrived just before the advent of reality television and in many respects is a pre-cursor to the sadistic enjoyment millions of viewers have had over the years watching programmes like Big Brother - simply watching people interact with each other and live their lives in confined environments. It all stems back to George Orwell's seminal 1984 where the phrase 'Big Brother' has a prominent role. By watching Truman and enjoying watching him in a world that we know is not reality we are objectifying him ourselves. When Truman makes his bid for freedom and the transmission is cut on the show, the two workers in the office look directly at the screen and ask "What else is on?" This perfectly characterises human beings. We are all obsessed with the act of looking and the art of the gaze. When one programme finishes, we are ready to invest our time in another.
It is Laura Linney's superb delivery of "How can anyone expect me to carry on under these conditions? It's not professional" that reflects the philosophy of this film perfectly and presents us with one of the only true facts of the film. Whilst The Truman Show looks professionally made on the outside, it is presented deep down exactly as it is: a representation, a fallacy, a world where Truman is ironically the only real person and the rest of the cast are cogs in a machine; extras claiming to love him and protect him but in essence are maniuplating and torturing him.
This is one of the best films of 1998 and one of the most vital social commentaries of our time. It is thought-provoking, it challenges your perceptions of truth and reality but most integrally it is a frightening vision of a world of the perhaps not too distant future. On that note, I'll say one more thing: "Good afternoon, Good evening, and Good night".
