The Truman Show

The Truman Show (1998)

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is the star of the longest running TV show in history, and is instantly recognisable the world over. His show is broadcast 24/7 and people continuously watch his life unfold every minute of the day. It’s fascinating viewing, only Truman doesn’t know he is the star. Once his perfect little bubble of existence begins to bursts, Truman starts to suspect something larger is at play, and will venture beyond the confines of his island home to discover the true meaning of his life.

In the case of “The Truman Show”, it was the movie influencing everything else, rather than the film being influenced. The story of a man’s life being broadcast as a TV show without his awareness, came from the “Big Brother is Watching” theory of course, but the fascination with watching other peoples live their lives on television is what gave way to Reality TV as we know it today.

The Truman Show was completely original and inventive in every way, and took the brave risk of casting Jim Carrey in the lead role. Having broke into comedies in the 90’s with his hyper-kinetic acting style, Carrey plays strait-laced and dramatic here to great effect, showing the world he could do more than just pull a funny face.

In my opinion, the film takes the spot as the most original, daring and unique film of the 90’s, and maybe of all time. Carrey would star in another stroke of genius six years later with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” which wouldn’t have happened for him without The Truman Show I think.

The impact the film had on popular culture and our viewing experiences, was not seen immediately, however it has continued to shape the way we observe other people living out their lives. Some would say, including me, that “Big Brother” was the first reality TV show on a mainstream level, where the program premiered for the first time in The Netherlands in 1999. Since then, any aspect of reality and how people live it has become fodder for TV, and there is something to appeal to all tastes.

Did this mean we weren’t interested in fiction anymore? Of course not, and movies and TV shows have adapted to the rise in popularity of voyeuristic viewing. But it’s safe to say that truth is often stranger (and more fascinating) than fiction, as evident in the changed television landscape we know today, and inspired in many ways by the central idea of The Truman Show.

The Truman Show is a timeless classic, and makes you instantly remember the 90’s because of Jim Carrey. He was at the height of his success at the time the film came out, but his career made a major direction change after this role. People walked into the theatre expecting to see another classic Carrey comedy, where the talented Canadian would wield his repertoire of dead-on impersonations, unbelievable body movements and facial expressions that could change from one moment to the next. But you won’t see any of that in The Truman Show. It is light hearted in parts, but it’s not a comedy. Jim Carrey isn’t funny in the film, and that’s the point. He showed the world he was a skilled dramatic actor, and made you believe he was a guy waking up to the truth of his own existence. In my opinion it is Jim Carrey’s greatest performance.

Apart from the impact it had on the formation and rise of Reality TV, The Truman Show is a film you can watch once and never forget. I first saw it on a plane flying from Melbourne to Perth. Back in 1998, you didn’t have your own TV screen in the back of the seat in front of you. There were about five TV screens hanging from the ceiling, and whatever movie the flight showed is what you watched. I watched the film on a tiny screen, and struggled to see it all unfold, but what I did see was mesmerizing.

When it finally came to video, I watched it again and fell in love with the film. I was captivated by its story, and very impressed with the performance of Jim Carrey. The scene I remember and still resonate with most is when Truman finally reaches the limits of his world. After commandeering a yacht, he sets sail and thinks he is headed towards an endless horizon. But when the boat stops in the middle of the sea, he comes to discover a wall painted like a blue sky. The emotions he feels in that moment as he thrusts his fists against the wall, crying in anger and relief at the same time, is a powerful moment in the film.