An Allegory Of Our Own World-- The Truman Show

Very seldom do we get films that are a symbolic representation of our own world, or maybe sometimes, a glimpse into the future. On occasions, they also serve as a cautionary tale, while managing to evoke strong emotions among the audience, amounting to a resonating, thought-provoking, bona-fide probing movie. Peter Weir's 1998 drama "The Truman Show" is one such movie that serves as an example of what our world could become (or, by the state of the present world, already has.) The Truman Show is definitely a movie that was ahead for its time and stands a strong representation for today's world. It's deep, rich with themes, strong character narrative and emotional beats almost like no other.

The Truman Show follows the mundane and typical life of Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman, with everything happening routinely in his life without spontaneity or excitement. But soon, the perfect world around him starts to show its true face and he slowly starts to realize that he might not be the everyday-normal person he used to believe he is.

Peter Weir manages to subtly inject his genius in the movie from the get-go. Starting from the very first frame, he starts to drop very small hints and nudges about the facade that is Truman's world. It's genius how he pulls you into this movie while also showing you that something is not right here. And one thing that happened to me was, in the first quarter of the movie, I was swearing and cussing at the cinematography and the janky camera work. It was nauseating (for me) to follow through. But as the true plot started to show its face and I started to realize how skewed everything is here, my former complaint just vanished. Because it was a very, very intentional trick. And the third act, to describe in one word, is majestic. The emotions, the themes, the dread, the tension, the engrossing pull, the way you instinctively and primitively root for Truman and how badly you want him to succeed and especially after the corruption you have witnessed beforehand, they all mesh in this engagingly-sound and rich final act, that really has you on the edge and when the endgame ensues and the audience is finally relieved, oh boy, what a big relief it is. Only Peter and Jim can do this to you.

Speaking of Jim, the cast, they did an amazing job of creating this facade-ridden world and deepen the motivations and emotions surrounding Truman's journey. Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Natascha McElhone, Noah Emmerich, everyone did a

n exceptional job of bringing this world to life. Especially Jim Carrey. The work he did in this movie is astounding. He really gets you to root with his character. This and the role of Joel in 2004 romance movie "Eternal Sunshine Of Spotless Mind" prove Jim's acting capability as a serious actor, aside

from the comedy actor Jim is known for being.

This movie was really ahead of its time to tell such a thoughtful story and thought-provoking narrative. Especially released three years after the dissolution of Cold War, The Truman Show expertly touched upon the subject of probing and personal security and exposure. A problem still very much present in today's world, with the social media prying on our data, and only the contradictory subject being we are used to exposure now and if anything, we crave to be noticed by thousands, if not millions on the Internet. (Hell, my site itself is an allegory of me wanting to flaunt my writing passion and show everyone my reviewing capabilities, a side of today's world that a movie from 1998 already touched upon.)

The Truman Show is an exponentially rich and thematic movie that deals with mature and questionable problems and themes. It really engages the audience on a very thought-provoking journey. In my opinion, it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime movie. Whether to experience a complex story or witness the dramatic capabilities of the man, Jim Carrey himself, I can't recommend this movie enough.