Shutter Island

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2011)

In "Shutter Island," director Martin Scorsese presents a dark and twisted mystery, chockfull of heroes and villains. What makes the film exceptionally intriguing is the way the line between reality and fantasy is blurred.
The film is based on Dennis Lehane's novel and stars award winning actors and nominees Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. It was screened at my local movie theater, a dilapidated building one step behind the time. You get what you pay for, which can be a good or bad thing. But the cheap ticket and food price and short lines add to the experience, and, ironically tied into the obscure film. "Shutter Island" takes place during the Cold War, a turbulent time enriched with conspiracy. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), and his partner Chuck (Ruffalo) team up on an investigation to Shutter Island, to investigate a missing person, Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), who mysteriously disappeared. The Island is home to a mental hospital that cures the criminally insane. It's located off the coast of Boston, but seems miles away from civilization and sanity. Once the investigation is underway, Daniels becomes suspicious. He thinks the institution is keeping secrets and spinning a web of corruption. And then out of nowhere, Solando is found. This detail begins the series of confusing mind games during the film. You begin to realize something strange is occurring, but you're left confused, musing over the possibilities. Daniels' investigation transforms into a relentless investigation of his own personal demons. He's forced to confront his past, hallucinations of his dead wife that become frequent as he loses grasp on reality. At this point in the movie, things become thrilling. The only way to get off the island is by ferry, which the authorities control. Daniels becomes trapped, physically and mentally. Suspense heightens as he desperately tries to distinguish truths from lies, unravel the hidden secrets embedded in the island, before he turns mad. Between the investigation, Daniels' hallucination, and the mysterious behavior of the hospital staff, "Shutter Island's" plot becomes a dramatic blur. The audience spends the entire film trying to understand what's happening, paralleling with Daniels experience of grasping reality. Warning: if you don't like puzzles or brainteasers avoid this film at all costs, because you are essentially paying for a mind game. The end of the movie is flipped. Daniels is cast as insane and the institution's presented in a new light. With all the chatter of frustration filling the theater, it sounded as if the audience was sent on a whirlwind.
A simple "Google" search for possible endings points into a direction of various theories. But, maybe the whole point of the movie is not to determine what exactly happened, but to get you to think in the first place. The beauty of this is, the story can unfold both ways. Each hypothesis can be supported with different evidence. This hazy line between the reality and fantasy is what makes "Shutter Island" a cinematic enigma. You're in for a dark surprise.