One of the most earth shattering films ever made!

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 2000)

"The Truman Show" is an absolutely amazing film that transcends beyond the boundaries of conventional moviemaking and storytelling. I remember coming out of the theater the night I saw it not knowing how to feel. Should I laugh? Should I cry? Be happy or sad? It was unbelievable! The idea of a man's whole life being televised and scripted is certainly an original and creative one, and on the whole, an upsetting one. It's hard for me to watch Truman Burbank, brilliantly played by Jim Carrey, suffer and be so blatantly deceived and lied to by those he crosses and even lives with. He doesn't know that his whole life wasn't under his control, until things in the show don't quite go as planned. A piece of equipment from the set falls from the sky, Truman bumps into his dead father who wandered into the set, and he learns his wife actually hates him. What really upset me about the film was having to watch all those actors and actresses lie, betray, and deceive Truman. Worse yet, the fans of the show are cold hearted and cruel enough to keep watching, even at the peak of Truman's suffering. Of course, that's what people do with movies and TV, watch people go through their trials and tribulations, pains and sufferings. The only difference here is that the star of the show isn't pretending. Luckily, he takes action and initiates an escape, while the shows creator battles to keep him on the set. Finally, in a devastating scene, Truman comes to terms with reality, that he never had a life. Thankfully, it was redeemed when he proudly walked out of the set and ventured out into the world. What you may not know is that "The Truman Show" is actually a film about God. The creator's name is Christof, related to Christ, and he orchestrates every day of Truman's life. "Don't worry about tomorrow, because God has already taken care of it for you." Also, I didn't think Christof was playing God. I thought it a satirical way, he really was God. He was the creator of a show that "gave hope, joy, and inspiration to millions", as did God with the world and his son Jesus. His wrath and anger was inflicted upon Truman when he tried to leave the set, or the Garden of Eden, and learn the truth about his life, thus receiving the fruit of knowledge. Christof throws a violent, Biblical storm at Truman, and after Truman survives the storm, he screams out "Is that the best you can do?", on his sailboat the Santa Maria, or the Holy Mary. The ultimate is the ending, where Truman appears to be walking on water towards the stairway to Heaven, not knowing if he is dead or alive or if it's reality or nightmare. Christof speaks to Truman through the clouds in a deep, God-like voice, telling him that he has been watching him his whole life. Another aspect of Christof's God-like qualities is that he isn't actually evil, and all he wants is to do what he thinks is best for Truman. "In my world, you have nothing to fear." A couple of times in the film, Christof pets Truman on the TV screen, a sign of gentleness and love. Finally, Truman gracefully bows before God and walks out of the set, and into the unknown world, thus Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden and venturing out into the real world. The whole awesome power of the climax brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. It's the first time in my life that a film could have such a strong, inspirational impact on me. It really shook me up! I was deeply upset that this film got a disappointing 2 Academy Award nomination, neither of which won. Jim Carrey wasn't nominated, although looking back on his career as the rubberfaced maniac who talked out of his ass in Ace Ventura, it's amazing that he was even involved in such an earth shattering film, let alone play the main character. But he did it. He gave Truman a likeable, intelligent, curious, and sad quality. I remember seeing the trailer for the first time in theaters and thinking, "Oh boy. Another Jim Carrey comedy." How wrong I was! This film was a serious, provocative, and inspirational one that put away all the laughter with the exception of the man in the bath tub. I remember desperately trying not to cry at the climax, watching Truman bang on the wall of the set, learning in a painful instant, the reality of his life. What would have been really sad is if he never escaped, although an ending like that would be pointless, because the message and the meaning would be lost. Hopefully, the AFI(American Film Institute) will put this on their list as one of the best films ever made, which I strongly would stand up for and believe it to be true in every sense of the word!