The Truman Show: A Cleverly Disguised Tragedy 

What's with all the redacted audio?

When I first watched this in my psychology my teacher didnt show us the beginning. We found out as Truman did

They made this video jokingly as a part of my own truman show

It’s a miracle Truman lasted that long with a wife who reads the labels of every single thing brought into the house

In a world full of actors, Truman really was the only “true man”

If I was living in a Truman Show reality right now, the crew would be sweating bullets seeing me watch this video.

Creator of the show: "Truman would leave if he wanted" Truman: **leaves** Creator of the show: 😨😱

I always took Truman's last line as him realizing he had a catchphrase and just saying it to appease the audience before starting his real life.

9:30 The thing here, is that the guy actually IS Truman's friend. He all but confirms it to Truman, in his acting, his choking back the tears, saying that "if everybody's in on it, I'd have to be in on it too." Apparently they were going to make a scene where the friend discovers Truman during the search (Truman in disguise here) and he chooses to ignore Truman to give him the choice. I wish they had kept that in, as it would've added to the character.

They sent Truman to cross the bay to REMIND HIM that he had a terrible fear of water. To REINFORCE that fear.

the way director peter weir said he wanted to have cameras installed in every theater the film was shown in, having the projectionist at one point cut the power, cut to the viewers, and then cut back to the movie... I can't even imagine

His fear of the ocean was not 'holding onto characterization' it IS his characterization. That is what the show intended. They manufactured his talassophobia to control Truman better. So that they DON'T have to deal with him leaving. It's the whole point, not a side fact that they "luckily kept in"

One scene that always stuck with me was when the bus driver said sorry to Truman, I felt like that was a moment where he broke his character role and actually felt sorry for Truman and how his life has to be, and knowing that he cant do anything to help him

Imagine if the Truman Show was just CANCELED when he was 15 or so. How would they break that news to him? "So you're what's known as a former child star now..."

Truman didn't find out the truth yet. He still doesn't know he's in a movie.

I remember one time we were watching the Truman show in class. Normally whenever they put on something, the students aren't that interested, so when the bell rings they're fully ready to leave. But when we were watching the final scene of the Truman show with the stormy ocean, the bell rang and half the class stayed sitting. Everyone was fully willing to be late to their next class just to see how the movie ends. To me that says alot, because I've never seen such a reaction with any other movie.

In the scene early on where he's sent to go across the bay, I always took it not as a way to test him or create drama, but to intentionally put him face to face with a water and the sunken boat at the dock to reinforce the fear. They see him fantasizing about traveling and about Lauren, so they re-expose him to the danger to keep him afraid. Even if he did try to leave in that moment, they would whip up a fake storm, and at that point in the movie, he'd be too scared to continue.

Just realised that the reason Truman has vitamin D deficiency is because he has never been exposed to real sunlight

When I watched it, as Truman was escaping I was almost shouting "FOLLOW HIM WITH THE CAMERA! I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" And suddenly I was the villain of the movie.

The moment when he touches the wall and you see it wash over him that he was right and he didn't want to be right, always gets me

I love that when Marlon and Truman are talking Marlon is drinking a beer but he is somehow very aware of which camera is active (how?) and keeps turning the beer can in a non-obvious way so that the label is always facing the camera.

The reason that Truman is so comedic is because his whole life people have wanted him to be entertaining. Any time he could make people laugh they are very happy and subconsciously he absorbed this lesson. He's been subject to Pavlovian conditioning for literally decades.

The writer of the show was able to convince Truman that his life was real for his entire life yet they can't even write a convincing ad.

Laura Linney was as good as Jim Carrey for me. An actress playing an actress, with all the little flubbing of her lines when Truman presses her, the product placements, and the subtle looks to the camera when she's in distress. Great performance. Amazing film all in all, one of my favourites.

In the script, sending Truman on a trip across the bay he can't take shows us his debilitating phobia. In the world of the show, I think the purpose of the assignment is because Christof noticed Truman is daydreaming about leaving again, and has someone send him on a mission that will put him face to face with a reminder of his trauma as a "don't forget, you're here forever" knife twist.

I like to think that Lauren/Sylvia rushing out her house at the end is her going to find Truman, and despite everything, he knows he can trust her, and she can help him find his way in the real world.

I always thought that the reason they give Truman the job to deliver something across the bay is because it makes it seem like he is staying in his city by his own volition. If he was never offered a chance to leave the city it would make it easier to doubt the validity of the world around him, but by making it seem like it is his choice he doesn't doubt it in the least until forced to.

We analyzed this movie in my film class last year. It was genuinely one of my favorite classes and teachers I ever had. On the last day I told my teacher "Oh, and in case I don't see you: Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!"

His best friend when they’re talking on the bridge made me cry it was so sad knowing it was fake and he was lying to his face by far the saddest scene

By the end we all felt like 1 of 3 people. Truman, Christoph or the guy in the bathtub.

Notice how Truman's environment barely even changes in 30 years, like being stuck in the 50's. In fact they could tell him that it's 1955 every year and he wouldn't even know. That's so twisted.

Can we take a moment and all agree that the viewers were just as guilty as the show runner? If the viewers would have stopped watching, the show would have ended a lot sooner. They were all happy when he got out, but their role as loyal viewers is what kept Truman there for so long

Even as I kid, I saw this movie as an existential horror tragedy. It was the first time I felt existential dread induced by a movie.

Never noticed this before but the boat that Truman took was called the “Santa Maria” which is the same name of Christopher Columbus’ boat that he used to discover “The New World”, and Truman is using it to escape his prison and find a new world, too.

I always thought the reason he was given the task of leaving the island for his job was to maintain the illusion of choice. That he is able to go anywhere and is often given the opportunity, but it is his own fault he can't. That would be an important psychological trick into making him believe he isn't on a tv show.

I absolutely loved this movie. My head canon for the ending is that Truman and Lauren find each other and she is the one he trusts. She's the one that lets him know everything around him is real. Anytime he has any doubts or if he ever has an episode of paranoia she'll be the one to ground him back in reality. She was the first to tell him the truth, when everyone else around him was lying so to him, she symbolizes the truth and reality he's been seeking.

as someone who is absolutely paranoid. like i'm still kinda convinced i'm in a simulation because i heard my neighbour say something about 5 times the exact same way but stopped the moment i mentioned it. if i saw a stage light fall from the sky out of nowhere i'd have a meltdown on the spot.

i think the most important part of the ending isn't when everyone watching cheers for Truman, it's when they're done cheering and change the channel. That's the real tragedy-- once the movie is over we can change the channel, watch something else, and wonder vaguely about Where He is Now, but Truman is stuck with the consequences of this forever. He can't stop living his life, and his life was destroyed for the fleeting entertainment of strangers who move on the second he stops entertaining them. Even the Free Truman movement seems to be incredibly small-- if it's bigger than just Lauren at all.

This movie is a horror, imagine finding out your wife and your best friend were actors. His life was stolen and ruined.

I feel like that scene between Marlon and Truman on the bridge was just SO well done. It was full of nice, sweet memories, and when we get our first true look at "The Showrunner" talking through him, it almost felt like Marlon _hated_ having to say that all. It felt like Truman was slowly realizing, lamenting, and then silently mourning because he could finally tell Marlon was in on it, too. But he IS his best friend. Maybe it's not true, maybe he IS being sincere. Maybe he can trust him... and then his dad gets brought back in and Truman gets to hold onto something "real" when he himself has been reeling out of control. Dad popped up right as he was about to lose all control and now Truman had something to hang onto... because he knew none of this was over. He's smart, he figured it out. Gave them all one last normal day to relax because he'd found his resolve once he knew these bastards were gonna play with him that far. Knowing his dad never died might have been the worst decision the showrunners could have made for themselves. In my opinion.

One thing that I found that made me think is that the fact that the people in real life don’t even know that he was living his whole life in a TV show without realizing. So much can be missed through film. Something could happen and someone could simply capture it from a certain angle, or fabricate it to seem as if it was just a movie. A real murder could be on film in a movie, and we could never know.

I like to call this “Gaslighting: the movie” because of obvious reasons lol

If I was Truman, I’d demand 30 years of backpay

I always though that his best friend Marlon actually hated Truman. Maybe they were friends as kids but now he is stuck in this role. They have Marlon a bad boring job, make him drink beer all the time which probablly have him a belly and even as kids he got seriously sick when Truman wanted to camp out at night. He has to be there for this man, day or night with beer in hand and make him feel good about his life by comparing it to his own dull life. Poor Marlon.

I think the reason this film works so well in creating empathy for Truman is because we are all Truman in a way as we imprison ourselves into leading normal lives where every day is the same and Truman wanting to escape, move away and go to new places but being too fearful to do so is how many people feel. Fear limits us, harness the fear and you will live without limits.

Plot twist, the ‘outside world’ is just another show, and the ‘escape’ was just a transition to a new, bigger set, new story arcs, and a way to sell more merchandise.

You know why we don’t see what happens after he leaves the island? Because he’s not on tv anymore. We are the audience, and he is supposed to be free, so we don’t see it.

I loved the ending, I've never felt so much just, contentment, as I have with The Truman Show. Watching so many movies with fairy tail endings or sequel endings gets so boring, but watching a struggling and beautifully human man just go on to the next thing in the most life-like and melancholy way, so undramatic and calm like a passing memory. Holy shit, every single time is amazing, it gives you the point of view as the audience in the moving watching Truman, how you see everything they do and nothing beyond the camera that follows Truman. The writers are absolutely amazing and they should have so much more recognition for the work they did. From the little things like the ending being so human and suddenly done to the entire concept of the movie, all of it is just phenomenal

There is sooooo much you spot on rewatches of this film. Last time I saw it, I noticed that so many of Truman's fans/viewers have products that have been in his house. So the old ladies wear the same silky dressing gown as his wife, they drink out of the same big coffee cups, the guy in the bathtub has this blue foam sphere thing that Truman has in his bath, and I'm sure there are more. Did this watch through with a much more anticapitalist lens and it's amazing. Like I never noticed before that every morning these two guys push him up against a wall with an advert behind him. Or that he's actually legally adopted by the corporation. And every time you see his best friend, he's carrying the sponsor beer. Cristoff's obsession with the first baby conceived on live TV is absolutely disgusting too.

Gotta love how Netflix has this labelled as a comedy. That ending wasn't funny, man, that shit was sad.

If Truman had never discovered that his life was a farce, how far were they gonna go omg? Have kid actors to play his children? That’s beyond messed up.

The last scene was the two guards switching channels and seeing what else is on

it’s not “cleverly disguised” it’s pretty obvious its a tradgey. it’s literally the point.

Let’s get real here, if the Truman Show was real. That ending would have been the greatest ending to a TV show ever.

“Truman could leave at any point if he really wanted to” meanwhile they’re blocking him at every turn, gaslighting him his whole life, and doing everything in their power to stop that from happening, going to drastic and dangerous measures to stop him from leaving. Cristoff is truly an insidious manipulator

The scene on the docks with his friend is one of the few scenes that have ever actually made me cry. He's so genuine and open and at that point, I'd forgotten the intro interviews at the start so I'd genuinely started to think his friend may have been a second victim of the show put there specifically so Truman could have a real friend. Then the cut to show that him putting his heart on the table was just some canned lines, it broke me

Carrey’s acting on this one is amazing to see! I always remember that scene when he’s at the sea, after the “storm” almost kills Truman, and as he is standing back up and struggling to catch a breath, my God! Jim’s acting is really somenthing to see. I was truly amazed. Love this movie! Great video!

The Matrix is having everyone in a false reality, which just makes it normal reality. But the Truman Show is all for one guy, and that's terrifying.

another creepy detail about this movie is that Seahaven Island's motto is "unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno" which means "all for one, one for all", because everyone living in Seahaven is just there for Truman, and and Truman is in Seahaven for everyone to watch his life

Just watched this yesterday evening and it is the best film I've ever watched. The score is incredible, especially the final act. The ending was amazing. Almost shed a tear. The idea of this movie so thought provoking! Truman is an excellent protagonist and his slow breakdown is really sad but interesting. I was left speechless after watching it.

I never saw it as a "disguised tragedy" I always saw the movie as trying to be a clear and obvious tragedy for our protagonist

The deleted scenes are also amazing. It's a shame they didn't fit. It shows that Marlon had become an alcoholic because they forced him to drink. It also implies that Marlon is also a victum because he was a child when he met Truman. He was basically brainwashed.

Imagine being like "that was a good show" and binge watch like 20+ years of episodes

Not going to lie the end of the movie where he left made me cry because he was finally free

I’ve seen this video on my feed off and on for literal years. Only recently did I finally watch Truman Show and understand just how good it is. Then I came back around to finally watch your video!

If the Truman show was real, imagine how much money he could sue for.

I think what’s terrible is the fact that everyone in the world cheers. Just... to cheer they know he triumphed- and to know he triumphed is to know that he existed in a terrible situation. They took joy in this triumph over evil that they perpetuated and that’s terrifying.

This is the first video in years that i havent had to pause to take a break from or switch between tabs. It was never meant to be background noice and i appreciate how well put it was. Thank, ill be watching more videos from you.

This has been one of my top 5 movies since it came out. Always bummed me out no one else understood at the time how great it was. It's nice to see that people looking back in retrospect nowadays are getting it and giving its due.

I just realized they named him Truman cuz he was the only "true man" while everyone else was playing a part, very clever

I always thought it was strange that Marlon his childhood friend since age 7 was able to so easily lie to Truman's face after spending essentially his whole life with him. Then I remembered that seemingly throwaway line about Marlon 'getting pneumonia and being out of school', my theory is that the original child actor that played Marlon started getting attached to Truman and wanted to tell him the truth, so they had to replace him.

8:47 It was at this moment, after watching it a second time; that I realized Meryl probably didn't get the job based on her acting abilities, which I guess can be taken as a dark nod to real life Hollywood; considering the two of them met in High School.

It’s an interesting take on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave which is so odd considering the scenario is one we can actually sort of relate to. It differs but connects with the allegory on a ton of levels and it makes this movie one of my favorites of all time

I feel like another tragedy of this movie is that the audience never realizes that they’re just as accountable for truman’s situation and by watching any of it. Even his escape. They were enabling his imprisonment

I believe it was Stephen King, who once said: "True horror is comming home to find every thing replaced by an almost perfect copy." I think this quote fits somewhat to the premise of the movie. And if not - it's still a damn good quote :D

I loved how everyone watching had no problem with it and were just bystanders that went along with anything that happened. They started off just watching the show as a part of their life and didn’t care that Truman was imprisoned, but then started to cheer Truman on when he was trying to escape, and all of them having nothing to do now now that the show is over.

The thing with the ocean is both to test him and to remind him of his phobia whenever he seems to be considering the option to leave. They’re literally giving him a “reality check”

Let's not forget that the woman who plays Truman's wife was paid to become his girlfriend and be his sexual partner for something like 15 years. She must have some level of fondness for him. Always wondered about that.

Alternate title for movie: NPC wakes up and realizes he's in a game.

the first time i watched your video was around a few weeks after you uploaded it and ive never seen it before. i mean i heard about the truman show but i never actually sat down and watched it before but i knew i couldnt watch this video without watching the movie first and honestly im so glad i did because this movie had just become so important to me and i just related to truman so much with his need of becoming more than what his life made him. im just really glad you posted this i love the truman show it has to be my favorite movie and i think pleasantville just makes for a fun little companion piece since they touch on similar notes. anyways thank you for sharing this with us

Splendid video essay. One of my favorite movies that gets me so emotional and choked up. Funny, infuriating, sad, joyful, weird, clever.... So thanks for reminding me I need to watch this again.

The truman show is a movie that could easily be recycled into a horror movie.

The ending is actually really impactful. After Truman escapes and the transmission is cut, there is a couple seconds of silence...and then a security guard turns to the other and says "so what else is on." You can draw your own conclusions from that

A video that took how I feel about The Truman Show and put it into more words than I could, even on my second watch. Thank you.

Had to come down here and mention the score. One of true best scores I have EVER heard. It sets the perfect tone

The thing is, after he leaves, he'll still have cameras in his face everyday. He'll never be able to have a private life, he'll be hounded by paparazzi and fans forever.

Another little detail, the travel agent was late getting into her office because this was the first time she's ever had to be there. They probably didn't even have an actress for it specifically. You can see a napkin in her shirt collar to protect it from them doing makeup in a rush.

Great video just found your channel keep up the good work bro 🔥💯

Truly a film I wish I could head back to watch for the first time again. That ending was such a mix of anger, tears and happiness that I've not quite experienced since in thousands of other movies

Truman was raised to be a TV character, so having Carrey play him is absolutely masterful. The cartoonish elements genuinely fit the character, because Truman lives in what's essentially a cartoon world.

Imagine growing up in one of those RU-vid families, that's Truman. The Truman Show is something the next generation (the post-Z) might live and that's something scary bc those kids won't understand the difference between RU-vid persona (the character you make for the viewer) and themselves

This is the scariest movie I have ever seen to date. I saw it at 14 when it came out (or maybe a year later). It seems like this is somewhat based off of a real life experiment(s). . . Just like the separation of the Triplet boys whom found out about each other later in life (& greatly affected them) - and how things like that have been orchestrated throughout our history.... That's what makes this movie terrifying.

The Truman show is terrifying because it shows just how far things can be pushed for entertainment. That reality TV which was all the rage ends up on the ultimate parody of life and abuse of the individual.

One of the things I always loved about The Truman Show was how it ended after he left. The audience is left wanting to know what happened to Truman but it's no longer any of their business. Truman is his own man with his own life, and his time on television is over. It's beautiful, really.

I think it's also worth mentioning that after the Truman Show finishes and everyone cheers, they simply switch to something else. After all it was just a show to them, and they don't actually care.

It is a good review. Going through a nice depression or having a mental break down or getting enlightened, all would help to understand life on the other side.

I would have LOVED to see 'The Truman Show' Part 2. I know that it's waaaay too late now. But I'm surprised that they didn't do it. Because there were so many stories left untold. For instance : What happened to the 4 other unwanted babies ? They could have bought them into the next film. And Truman's natural Mother. I'm surprised that she hadn't already tried to contact him. Even if it was just to 'Cash-In' on his fame. What if Meryl was actually (unknowingly) already pregnant ? ( I could even see Christof and Meryl themselves, trying to fake this, to get Truman to return, in a vane attempt to rekindle the show) The battle that would ensue, between Truman and the T.V. show that all-but owned him. Truman and his 'father' Christof. Because technically Christof is Truman's adoptive father. Lauren : we know that Lauren would have been there for Truman, but could they survive ? Because; as was already implied. Truman could NEVER have a 'Normal' life, not in a million years. The world would STILL want to follow him, and watch what he was up to, at every minute of the day, just as they had done, for 30 years, and although they would be doing it because they loved and cared about him, it would still be an unliveable life for him, never having any peace or privacy. Where could he go ? especially as the T.V. show would be hounding him in court (because you know that they would, been as he was such a money-maker for them) All of this could have made for a compelling sequel film, especially if it was made with the same care and attention that The Truman Show film was. But I suppose that they did just want to leave us asking questions, and asking for more. And; let's face it, if it were based on (technically) real life, then it would have just ended up, as a film about a man, who would be constantly in Court, trying to win his freedom, peace and privacy, and we all know that that could have taken The rest of Truman's lifetime, and still not have been resolved, because even that would have made money, and kept Truman in the public eye, where they ultimately wanted him to be, and it would have simply turned into a different variant of 'The Truman Show' which would have been yet another Cleverly Disguised Tragedy, and Truman would still be in a prison of another kind ... I also totally agree. Jim Carey is a master at what he does.

I don’t understand why Jim Carrey didn’t win an Oscar for this movie. He is able make us feel how Truman is feeling especially at the end when he’s standing in front of the door to leave. As the creator is talking to him all we see is Truman’s back to the camera, but in that moment we can feel every emotion Truman is experiencing even if we can’t see his face. we know everything Truman has been through up until that point and Truman’s silence speaks volumes, we understand what he is going through and has went through he doesn’t need to say anything. Jim Portrayed this dude so well that we didn’t even need to see Truman’s face to know what he was feeling we just knew. I can’t express enough how I just love the end of this movie, and is an Excellently acted movie through out.

One of my favorite movies of all time, and I agree Jim Carry should’ve won an Oscar for this.

Every now and again i go back to this video a grand video