Shutter Island

In Martin Scorsese’s film, Shutter Island, Andrew Laeddis works his way through an elaborate role play scenario trying to track down a mysterious 67th patient, only to realize that he is actually the 67th patient. This is not my first time watching this film, it’s probably close to the fourth or fifth, but this is the first time that I was taking notes and analyzing the film. For the first few times that I watched this film I simply looked at it as a thriller where a detective tries to uncover terrible operations being done within the facility, only to have a twist ending where he is actually a patient. This is actually a pretty incorrect way to look at this film, mostly because the film is extremely tongue and cheek about the twist ending. Knowing the ending and watching it through that lens, every single scene was seen in a different light. It was no longer about a man trying to uncover the truth, rather, doctors and patients trying to break through to a man who has gone beyond the brink of insanity. Looking at the film with this new perspective, it’s almost like I’m watching an entirely different film.

During the first few minutes of the film, the guards are seen on extreme edge. Not knowing what’s going to happen, you could look at this and say, they’re evil and don’t want the law poking around. With the knowledge of the ending, it can be looked at as though they’re guards who are worried about a dangerous patient having free reign. The effects on the guards is seen toward the ending of the film when Andrew knocks out a guard and takes his empty gun. Even when Andrew is interviewing the male and female patients during the beginning of the film. When Laeddis asks about Dr. Sheehan the female patient looks at Chuck when she is describing the doctor’s caring nature and good looking features. Almost every scene of this movie is revealing the true narrative to the audience. This reveals Scorsese’s thoughts about image and truth. That one’s own interpersonal demons affect the way that people interpret one’s own perception of reality.

The viewer is looking through the lens of Andrew, which influences our perception of reality. We look at things the way that Andrew does, which is through the lens of Edward Daniels. Andrew’s alcoholic self helped him ignore the horrors that he witnessed while serving during WWII. Much like he was living within a delusional world with the help of a bottle, Andrew uses Edward Daniels as a way to live within a delusional world that he didn’t murder his wife. The way that the world is viewed is effected by the way that a person views the world around them.

Andrew takes us along on his delusional ride throughout the movie, but we also get glimpses of the real world around us. The doctors are trying to break through to Andrew throughout the film, but they’re also trying to break through to the viewer as well. Scorsese uses the juxtaposition of the truth and the false images that we’re presented as a way to show the viewer that the world we live in is the truth, and whatever we use to try and avoid it will be rendered useless under the weight of reality. Killing a version of ourselves that we wish to be and accepting reality is the only way that we’d be able to truly achieve a true sense of self. Andrew denies this and accepts death as Edward. Throughout the film, Dolores tells him that going to the lighthouse will be the death of him. She is referring to the death of Edward. Scorsese presents the choice that Andrew must make, is also the choice that the viewer must choose as well. Either choose to embrace the truth and kill the person that we wish we were, or to kill ourselves by living in our delusional world and lobotomizing ourselves.