Perspectives | Why Is "The Truman Show" Postmodern

"The Truman Show" Poster

The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical science fiction film directed by Peter Weir and written by Niccol. It contains the story of Truman a middle aged man who was born and brought up in a simulated utopian city/society. Truman soon becomes suspicious about his idealistic life and tries to find out the truth and eventually discovering that he has been held in a simulation merely for the entertainment of other people. But what post modernistic traits does this movie have exactly?

1. Mise-en-abyme - The audience does not realize that the life story of Truman is actually a TV show until the director behind the reality show is shown at his set and manipulating the environment around Truman. The viewer realizes that he/she is watching a show within a show.

2. Fourth Wall - The movie breaks the fourth wall by intelligent product placement and the introduction of commercials. When Truman seeks a private conversation with Marlon he gazes into the camera holding his beer up and says: “This is a beer!” revealing its brand making it an obvious commercial even Truman’s everyday life consumables  items and household sets are considered articles the viewer of the show can purchase from a catalogue.

3. Utopia - The world Truman is placed in is bright, happy and ideal, every person in the city is happy and the emotion of sadness never crosses the audiences mind while looking at the utopian city. Truman leads an ideal American life possessing a house, a car, a beautiful wife who is already planning for a future child symbolizing again this utopian image of the perfect American life.

4. Hyperrealism -  Throughout the movie Truman is troubled with the inability of distinguishing whether what he is experiencing is real or fake. Truman soon doubts the reality of his world and tries to escape it by attempting of leaving the island where he spent his whole life however, every actor tries to stop him by first trying to cause traffic jams or power plant accidents to block the road leading toward the outside world and eventually even catching him.

5. Simulation - Everything in Truman’s life up until his discovery of the exit into the real world has merely been a simulation of a perfect life with some limitations (no leaving the area). The nature can even be manipulated by machines set up in the studio which is located behind the fake moon. In addition his wife Meryl and his best friend Marlon are merely actors who do not even see him in a way they should; one scene shows his wedding day where his wife crossed her fingers while swearing eternal love meaning that she was lying about her statement.