It’s been a while since I’ve done a full film review (in this format) but it’s time again now. It’s not that I’ve not seen any films, it’s just that very few have been worth blogging about. So this week’s entry is about The Truman Show.
Why did I watch this film?
This is a film that a few people have mentioned over the last couple of years, and mostly in a “this film is iconic, you must have seen it” kind of way. I had never even really heard of it so I assumed it was fairly recent and I had somehow just passed over it. Turns out it’s from 1998 (the computer screens definitely date it to around this period), so it’s not quite old enough to be a proper cult film, and not quite recent enough for me to have seen when it came out. Anyway, I came across it on Netflix at the weekend and decided it was worth a shot.
What did I think of this film?
When describing this film, people had always explained that it was about a guy who was constantly being filmed for reality TV, but that he had no idea that he was. I never quite understood the full premise behind this but it sounded like an interesting concept. So it wasn’t until I had seen it that I fully grasped how it worked. And I realise that I’ve not explained it the best way either so I would just recommend watching it for yourself.
It is generally a funny film but there are a few more serious moments too. It definitely made for some light-hearted Sunday evening viewing that didn’t require too much thinking about, whilst at the same time not being a complete switch-off film. The idea that reality may not be what it seems reminded me a lot of Inception (a film I do really like). Afterwards you start to wonder if your own life might actually be just for someone’s reality TV viewing and what the consequences of that would be. If that is the case and you’re watching me right now, I’d like to apologise for having to watch me write this post over the last half hour or so. (Don’t worry, I don’t actually think that is happening.)
Will I watch it again?
I did really enjoy this film and would probably put in my favourite films. It’s not quite in my best ever films yet, but I would definitely watch it again and I think it could only go up in my favourite rankings. In fact, I’m tempted by a second viewing just so I can take it all in again knowing what’s going to happen at the end. Highly recommended.