Shutter Island Martin Scorsese\'s 2010

¶ … Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese's 2010 motion picture Shutter Island deals with the character of Andrew Laeddis (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he goes through a series of stages meant to provide him with information regarding his mental status. Although psychological thrillers have a tendency to disappoint the audience when they end, this particular film is different as a result of the fact that filmmakers were apparently unwilling to focus on a particular element and instead made a motion picture that manages to keep audiences as well as the protagonist in a state of nervousness. Scorsese succeeds in presenting viewers with a particularly intense film displaying insanity and guilt as two of the most important themes.

Initially appearing to be a rather calm thriller, Shutter Island gradually evolves into a powerful film dealing with Andrew Laeddis's mental health, his inability to understand the surrounding environment for what it is because of the clever acting of the hospital staff, and the film's general idea regarding madness (Dumke). During the time when he believes that he is Edward "Teddy" Daniels, Andrew Laeddis puts across confusion and fear as he tries to cope with his WWII memories and with his inability to fully focus on the alleged case that he is in charge of. Progression is obvious in almost every scene, making the audience concentrate more and more on the topic of insanity as characters constantly relate to it.

Laeddis slowly but surely becomes acquainted with the scenery in the film and learns that insanity is one of the most controversial matters that one could think of (Hudson). Ranging from the lunatics that he comes across during his investigation as Teddy and to the unnatural atmosphere on the island, the protagonist becomes confused with his overall purpose, his background, and the relationship he has with the people that he considers close to him. Even when he realizes that he is himself mad, Andrew is incapable to understand the circumstances he finds himself in. Viewers and the protagonist alike comprehend that it is futile to continue fighting, given that from the moment when he was informed as regards his mental state, everyone became focused on the gravity of the situation and started to doubt the actual state of affairs concerning Edward Daniels. It is very probable that Scorsese was interested in having viewers doubt their own sanity as a result of seeing certain scenes in the film. The shot where a woman is supposedly drinking water from a glass is particularly interesting because of the following shot, where she is shown without it, only to be shown slamming an empty glass onto the table in the next shot.

Guilt emerges as one of the most important elements in the film as Laeddis comes across more and more cases of people expressing guilt (Hudson). Viewers also learn that Teddy himself is haunted by his memories and that he keeps remembering diverse episodes from the liberation of the Dachau Nazi death camp. The music in the film is essential for keeping viewers close to the action, as the sounds of the island and the tone accompanying Andrew through his nightmares produce intense feelings.