Movie review- Shutter Island

 Shutter island

This story is set in a post world war theme where various war veterans suffered from intense PTSD. Major themes include war crimes, PTSD, grief, suspense, conspiracy theories, delusion and people’s view on mental ailments. The euphonious music and excellent cinematography are perfectly set to deliver unparalleled cinematic experience. Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and many other actors and actresses have balanced not only their characters but also the entire length of the movie.

The storyline of this movie navigates the complexities of the life and the mind of US Marshall Teddy who finds himself amidst a prison which also serves as a mental asylum, located on a secluded island. Having arrived at the island with his partner Chuck, Teddy’s task is to investigate the disappearance of a resident patient named Rachel, who is said to have killed her children by drowning them. As Teddy explores the institution in pursuit of the missing patient, he happens upon uncanny doctors and uncooperative nurses. Vigorous investigation leads to suspicion of malpractice to be involved and that the staff have much to hide. Starting with discovery of secret codes and anagrams, to the doctors’ cryptic remarks about his personal prejudices, Teddy starts having flashbacks of his days as a soldier in the war, followed by excruciating migraine. Images of his dead wife flash before his eyes throughout the course of his task and various conspiracies unravel within him. When a storm hits the island with full force, realisation that he’s trapped there under their mercy dawns on him.

Visions of his dead wife resurface the memory of her killer and Teddy sets out to hunt him. Seeking vindication and the determination to uncover the institution’s unethical scientific experiments, sets Teddy on a taxing venture, one that completely alters his view of reality.  He then happens upon a runaway patient who convinces him that all of this is a deliberate ruse set up by the faculty to make him question his sanity. 

Profound efforts lead him to the lighthouse, which he surmises to be the ground zero of all the unethical medical practices. The doctor then tells him a story which is bound to shatter Teddy’s reality. From reluctance to acceptance, Teddy is quick to embrace the transition but unwilling to make it his conviction. The open ending of the movie has divided the movie watchers into two factions, and they build up their own versions of Teddy’s reality. So, which one are you?