Image: IMDB
We watched Shutter Island on Wednesday. [spoiler alert, I guess] Although it's quite a different story to Inception, there's something similar there - and not just the fact that Leo DiCaprio is the lead actor.
Both of them depend on the idea that we can't trust our perception of reality. And, unlike other films, The Matrix for example, this lack of trust is not inspired by an outside agency, it comes from the fact we can't trust ourselves. Instead of being scared of the world, they seem to suggest we should be scared of our own minds.
I've always had a lot of regard for DiCaprio, both as an actor and also as someone with a great sense of the public mood. The fact he's chosen these two movies makes me look for the reason.
Could it be that that instead of being paranoid of communists or corporations, something has happened* to make us paranoid that it's actually ourselves that we need to worry about? Which, if you think about it, would be the most profound paranoia there could be.
*Perhaps too much pop psychology, perhaps advertising, perhaps the whole edifice of consumer culture. I'm not sure I know how to start unpacking this one.
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4 comments:
Haven't we always been paranoid about ourselves? Isn't the fear of heights really just the fear that we will do something stupid up there?
I don't think it's so much that we need to worry about our minds, it's the choice we make about whether to we act upon the things our mind generates that I think is the worrying thing... (or maybe, without seeing the film, I misunderstand what you are saying).
I also like DiCaprio (possibly for different reasons to you) but I am not sure I can watch this. I enjoyed Inception but somehow Shutter Island seems too dark to me.
Also, I thought it was Keanu Reeves who fitted your "someone with a great sense of the public mood"...
@ Anonymous
Absolutely, it's always been with us. In the past though, my sense is that it would come upon a character and then leave (when the walk away form the edge or put the gun down).
My sense is that it has become stronger - so strong in this case that our fear of our own madness is actually a whole character in the story.
@PF & DR
You should watch the film, it's excellent.
It's interesting that you describe your mind as a separate entity that generates ideas which you then decide to act on. I think, I feel a bit more wedded to perception than that... I can't say more without spoiling it - try to watch it before next weekend!
I'd forgotten about Keanu! I think my argument was that in the absence of any acting talent, being in tune with the world is all he has. But yes, if you want to know where the world is heading, follow those two.
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