On June 5, “The Truman show” celebrated 24 years of being released. Considered one of the most talked about movies of the ’90s, its witty and satirical plot to the public’s obsession with television and celebrities is timeless.
The 1998 release came at the height of the career of Jim Carrey, an actor who had appeared in a string of comedies that made him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. With “The Truman Show”, the interpreter showed his audience that he also had dramatic gifts, with a sensitive and mature interpretation.
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- Truman and when your life doesn’t belong to you
In the film, Carrey plays Truman Burbank, the star of the world’s most popular television show, “The Truman Show.”
The program is broadcast 24 hours a day and shows all aspects of the character’s existence naturally, mostly because he doesn’t know it’s recorded.
However, Truman’s hometown is a giant stage populated by actors playing the residents. Christof (Ed Harris), creator of the show, manipulates events and controls Truman’s life. As the scenes go by, we see that the protagonist begins to question the nature of his reality when he witnesses a series of strange events.
- A critique of television obsession
Truman’s struggle to break free from the show is hilarious, but heartbreaking. In one scene, Christof says that the reality show began when the child was in his mother’s womb; After leaving it, life for him would not be the same, nor for the viewers either, since the morbidity would lead them to put the “Truman show” as the most watched space in the United States.
From the beginning, the film seeks to answer the question: what if what we know as reality is nothing more than an illusion?, the same one that is answered by showing elaborate and well-executed details of a deception that the world enjoys seeing.
As the scenes go by, the film delivers critical messages about the media, reality, self-control and perhaps even seeks to make the viewer question more than once why he likes to see and learn about the intimate life of another person.
- Jim Carrey showing that he not only knows how to make people laugh
Another strong aspect of the film is the acting. Carrey is an underrated dramatic artist. This film, along with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004), showcases his acting skills to the point of taking the viewer through the ups and downs of emotions.
His character has the mission of being the emotional core of the film and fulfills it quite well, with a performance that gives the audience reasons not to stop until they see the outcome.
- Carrey won a Golden Globe, but missed the Oscar
At this point we know that Carrey gave a stellar performance and that in 1999 he was the perfect candidate to win an Oscar after winning a Golden Globe for best dramatic actor. The problem was that the competition was strong.
With press and fans awaiting his long-awaited nomination, Academy members finally narrowed down the list of nominees to Tom Hanks (“Saving Private Ryan”), Ian McKellen (“Gods and Monsters”), Nick Nolte (“Affliction ”), Edward Norton (“American History X”) and Roberto Benigni (“Life is beautiful”).
With a story that people applaud to this day, Benigni took home the award. Not only did the actor star in the critically acclaimed film, but he also co-wrote and directed it.
Without detracting from Carrey, and with his fans waiting for an Oscar to come his way, “The Truman Show” will continue for generations on the list of the best films of the 90s. His strong and critical narrative leads the viewer to think how far the reality that is exposed to be true is. Impossible not to think when you finish watching it that we could also be part of a reality show and maybe we don’t even know it.
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