Relevant, Thoughtful, and Hilarious!

Rating: 9/10 (12 September 2016)

The Truman Show is hilariously heartwarming. Set in the '90's, it follow Truman Burbank, an unassuming, naive but friendly man who lives in Seahaven, a small town where everybody knows everybody- well, where everybody knows Truman. In reality, Truman is the center of a TV show that has followed him since he was born. The director, Christof, built a dome behind the Hollywood sign, and inside that dome is Seahaven. Actors were hired to be Truman's parents, teachers, and friends. In fact, everything around Truman is fake- but it's real to him. He has no idea that he is living in a bubble built solely around his life. In the real world, people can watch Truman 24/7, and are almost addicted to watching him through life. The movie begins with Truman is almost 30, and is just starting to realize that things may not be as they seem in his little village of Seahaven. Studio lights are falling from the sky, a pocket of rain appears just over him, and the malfunctioning radio in his car suddenly switches to a mysterious voice documenting his every move! This leads to an adventure of Truman trying to figure out where- and who he really is.
Despite being a lighthearted film, the entire movie touches on more thoughtful themes: the safeness of home and how far one clings to it, the addictive nature of the media- the director even suggests that the world in which we live in is corrupt, and Truman is being granted a gift by being shut off from reality. The film is also a satire, meaning that it brings to light a folly in human nature in hopes that we can change it. The main problem that the Truman Show satirizes is the media. The people in the real world are obsessed with the Truman Show! Throughout the whole movie it gives us glimpses of the people watching it, and they don't seem to move their positions throughout the 72 hours of broadcast of the Truman Show! It's as if all they've been doing in their lives has been watching this show- ignoring everyday responsibilities and staying glued to the screen. It exaggerates people's dependency on TV shows, but in a way it shows us the truth. We binge watch TV series on Netflix, we watch our own reality TV shows, and believe that we know the person we're watching. The Truman show is almost ahead of it's time- and that's why it's still enjoyable and relative today.