"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented" -- Christof

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2005)

There's an old Doors song that has the chorus line "break on through to the other side", and it comes to mind as I write. There are many movies now that begin by showing us an everyday, mundane, version of our world and then have the central character "breaking through" to something much more meaningful and significant.
Probably The Matrix is the best example of such a movie, where a computer message implores Neo to "Wake Up!" and begin a journey that has him uncovering an alternate reality. And then there is Groundhog Day where a nice cosy small town visit leads Phil Connors to move beyond the selfishness that has trapped him, to being a more expansive and loving human being. Even Star Wars has a dual reality theme, with a deeper reality being evident in scenes with The Force; the light sabre scenes with Darth Vader, in particular, are fights between spiritual warriors, not ordinary beings.
And then we come to the Truman show, where wide-eyed Truman (True Man) Burbank (Jim Carrey) begins to suspect that his calm and routine everyday existence in the town of Seahaven has another side to it. Nothing is quite what it seems. It's as if Truman is in a prison and gradually he pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of his entrapment, faces his fear (of water), and literally opens the door to another world.
The Truman Show is yet another example of a movie that can be enjoyed at two levels: a popular film from Hollywood as well as a spiritual allegory that raises fundamental questions about our lives. What could have been an ordinary film is lifted up by an intelligent script as well as good acting and directing. It's a movie that is well worth seeing more than once.