Shutter Island

Shutter Island was and was not what I expected. It may have been predictable, but that didn't stop it from leaving an unsettling impression. I've enjoyed Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio pairings in the past, but something was lost in this attempt. Scorsese managed to build up the mystery and characters with intensity, but when the ending was finally revealed, it seemed to fall flat.

Visually, the movie was stunning. I could see myself buying it, if only to dive into the imagery. Bold bloody reds, stark contrasting light, a lovely excess of dreamy hallucinations. It carried such great potential, but it had a hard time living up to the conclusion it promised.

The thing that I really enjoyed about the movie was the way Scorsese portrayed the different variations of "insanity." I'm fascinated with the idea of mental hospitals. I wouldn't want to be stuck in one, and I'm utterly frightened by the idea of being admitted by force, (imagine the the feeling of helplessness!), but sometimes I feel like there's a moment in which people choose to tip the balance. Some of the patients in the movie were so convinced by their intricate personal realities that it almost seemed a shame to treat them.

On a larger level, it's easy to infer that all of us, in essence, are crazy. Isn't it human nature to judge the world based on perception, (or perceive the world based on judgment)? It can be an ongoing hostile environment, or a white picket fence fantasy, but it's not impossible--nor is it rare--that the same story can sound completely different when given from two separate perspectives. So when does a person's perspective peel away from the norm? When does the scale tip, and cause someone's world to differ so much from our own that we consider them insane? The idea that we are capable of existing solely in our mind is as exhilarating as it is frightening.

Theories aside, I would watch the movie again. The ending may have rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily blame the direction or the acting. I think Scorsese did the best he could with what he had. And considering it was based on a novel, perhaps it was the best screen translation possible.

On a side note, considering I've enjoyed DiCaprio's past performances, but never really found him romantically appealing, I was pretty surprised at how intensely attracted to him I was in this movie. It was like realizing you have a crush on a best friend...Where did that come from?