What makes a film interesting and special will change from film to film and depending on the type of genre you are watching. The budget that being spent affects the type of star power a movie is able to bring as well as abilities to hire cinematographers and Special Effects crews to make movie sets come to life. There are very many ways to interpret a film as special it could highlight a particular soundtrack or possibly be a remake of a special book that helped you through tough times as a child. What is special to me will vary from what is special to you so one thing that I can take with me and use to interpret film as well as other aspects of life is to try and see others points of view and try and understand the entire picture before judging a film or piece of art.
Shuttter Island brings us a twist that very few didn’t see coming. While we are ultimately left pondering which of our senses are we able to believe as we are continually misled by what we perceive to be a meddling Hospital Staff at Ashecliffe Hospital. Flash backs from WWII offer us a look at the struggles DICaprio character has experienced almost offering us a sympathetic and yet tell tale sign our hero obviously has had past life trauma. The question Ultimately being asked in our film is are we able to trust our sense our should we be using our better judgment and comply with the those who seem to maintain the function of rational thinking.
Shutter Island plays with the fact that we start to loose a sense of who is the good guy almost to entrench us in the madness of the movie. Not knowing who to trust comes from two stellar performances by DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels and Ben Kingsley as Dr. John Cawley. The relationship that manifest between these characters really represent the fight for control in our film. At the start of our film we are presented with a U.S. Marshal trying to find a missing patient who seems to be getting nowhere do to the uncooperative Head Dr as well as members of the board. As the obstruction grows against our hero the secrets we believe to be surrounding the hospital starts to circle and entrench DiCaprio in his own demons. . and later are to believe the hospital has more secrets we are not allowed in on.
Director Martin Scorsese does a great job hinting throughout the film that DiCaprio may not be who he says he is through the uses of imagery as well as symbolism which can be viewed to represent specific tragedies in DiCaprio’s life.
A film to me needs to make me believe in what I am watching as well as hopefully be aesthetically pleasing but this movie toys with that notion, perhaps not knowing what is going on can be just as pleasant of an experience. Movies like Garden State were able to capitalize on is using the local New Jersey suburbs to highlighting the gloomy weather and green scenery. All making for a prime dramatic/romantic/comedy location. This film is much different as the landscape feels more forced.. It may have been because The video I have included on how they made the background that creates a Wizard of Oz like effect where I know now the secrets of the CGI and it’s all I can see when watching. The problem for me is it is distorting and distracting to the film and can easily draw me from the experience of believing I’m at a Insane Asylum.