The Truman Show as a Satire

Rating: 9/10 (13 September 2016)

The Truman Show is a great satirical piece. Staged within a giant dome, Truman lives his life alongside actors, and he is the only one that doesn't know he is star. During the video, he begins to figure out that his life is a lie. He ends up escaping in a boat, overcoming his fears, to find freedom. The Truman Show is a representation of the control media has over our lives. Wherever we go, we are surrounded by it. In the show, there are a couple of occurrences in which people try to alert Truman of the control the media has over him. In response, the character is removed and the media tries to destroy their credibility. Later on, Truman is able to avoid the cameras by covering some of the cameras and pretending to sleep creating a gateway to escape. The directors of the Truman Show (the movie, not the show) are able to create some sense of freedom, showing how escaping the prying eyes of the public and media allowed him to have his own liberties and control his life. Near the end of the movie, as Truman is trying to escape, Christof, the director with a God complex, tries to scare Truman into going back to the city and living a "normal" life. Instead, he chooses to die rather than living as a slave and continues on his path (but he survives). In one of his final lines, Truman says, "You never had a camera in my head," in response to Christof stating that he knew Truman better than he did himself. The accuracy of how the media feels it is in control was brought to mind by the techniques used by the directors of the movie. Overall, the Truman Show is a great satirical piece, helping to bring its audience into the realization of the effect and control the media has over them.