Joel DavidsonNathaniel McHaffie

Jeremy Vega

Film Review: The Truman Show

The Truman Show depicts a man named Truman Burbank, who—unsuspectingly—stars

in his own reality television program. Driven by the media, the show’s creator and producer,

Christof, has created a world for Truman in which paid actors play true to life characters; for

Truman, life in the town of Seahaven is true. Then, one day, a gradual skepticism begins to grow

within Truman’s conscience—a place where no cameras could be hidden. He remembers a

young girl in his youth, Sylvia—his first love—whom once told him that everything “they” had

been telling him is a lie; that nothing in his life is truly real; her father tells Truman that she is

mentally ill. Later in life, a light fixture falls from the sky; it is passed of as space junk. The

show’s camera crew cuts in on Truman’s car radio, narrating his every move; it is not so easily

shrugged away. He sees a homeless man that looks suspiciously like his long-deceased father;

the homeless man is quickly swept away by a crowd. Thus begins Truman’s ascent into reality—

the cogs of radical skepticism begin to turn in his head. He begins grows increasingly suspicious

with his wife and life-long friend, fighting towards his dream of travelling to Fiji, where Sylvia

had supposedly been taken; yet, he is constantly impeded by his crippling fear of the sea—his

only hope for escape. Ipso facto, Truman must either continue living suspiciously on his placid

island paradise, or face his ultimate fear in order to discover the truth of his existence. Against

every one of Christof’s efforts to keep Truman on The Truman Show, he leaves.

Joel:

A powerful recurring theme in The Truman Show involves the crippling fear he holds

towards the ocean. This fear is rooted in a traumatic childhood experience—a fishing trip gone

horribly wrong—through which Truman’s father was tragically lost at sea. In truth, this was a

device written by Christof in order to ultimately crush Truman’s explorative nature, further

destroying any chance for Truman to depart from the illusory arcological dome called

“Seahaven.” When Truman discovers that he is being watched, he takes to escape through the

mainland, forcing his wife to drive him across the bridge. Though, his efforts are futile; the

show’s crew is one step ahead and fakes a nuclear meltdown to block his path.

An old Japanese proverb reads: “a cornered rat will bite the cat.” In this instance, Truman

was forced to take to the sea. Having already tried to leave Seahaven by land, he knew that his

only chance for escape was by means of traveling where the crew had no guard set—the ocean.

So, bravely, like a weathered sea mariner, Truman sailed away to faces an extraordinary storm.

Compelled by his drive to discover the truth, he faced his greatest fear.

The narrative of The Truman Show is that of a humanistic existential journey; the

representation of a deity is truly not that of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent being. A greater

force—the demands of the public media—manipulates Truman’s God-figure, Chrisof. His

actions are considered by many to be manipulative and unethical. Certainly, The Truman Show is

not a perfect metaphor for a scripture; yet there are areas of scripture that relate closely to the

theme of overcoming great fear in the presence of a higher power. Psalm 56 (ESV) express a true

sense of fear in the face of David’s enemies. He cries out to God, relinquishing all of his trust

upon the Lord. So, he pursues God, and God gives him peace and triumph over his adversaries.

For Truman, the pursuit of truth, and the longing for Sylvia is the higher power; it is the driving

force leading his pursuit towards refuge—a truly divine sense of direction.

Nathaniel:

Truman Burbank leaves The Truman Show, but do his beliefs change with his address?

Truman begins the story with a corporate job, a suburban home with his wife, and dreams

adventure walled off by a fear of travel. Walking off the show’s set, Truman is in position to find

both his adventure and true love. A return to domesticity follows adventure and true love by

convention.

“In case I don’t see you: good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight,” quips Truman at

his exit. Delivered here with irony, these words connect us back to a time when Truman uttered

them with sincerity. But film demonstrates change. Setting out to sea, Truman strikes the pose of

an eastern yachtsman. He struggles against a squall traditionally. Truman ends his stardom as a

lone figure in a wide shot of sky walking away from the (artificial) sun instead of into the sunset.

Never does Truman have a crisis of conscious onscreen. Without deep soul-searching, Truman

can only be relying on assumptions delivered to him by the sensibilities of The Truman Show’s

creator Christof. Truman should appear alien—at least psychologically—as he leaves his home.

Instead, he looks unchanged, just like us.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 (ESV) says that, “ . . . the living know that they will die, but the dead

know nothing, and they have no more reward.” The book of Ecclesiastes tells of a search for

truth in life. By leaving his show, Truman stands at the beginning of such a search. Moreover, he

should now be more like the dead – unsure of anything – than the living to whom at least death is

concrete. Truman does not doubt himself or the reality of the outside world. Such a reaction

might come from an unusually resilient or an insane person. Truman Burbank as revealed in The

Truman Show should doubt.

Doubt and belief are equal partners in a healthy mind. If death is the only certainty as

Ecclesiastes claims, questions about our faith—and indeed self-awareness in general—cannot be

sin, but a characteristic of humanity. Truman Burbank does not take the time to appreciate his

situation. Equally, American Pentecostal Christians seem prone to viewing spiritual trials as

coals to walk on without appreciating the perspective struggle may give. Truman Burbank might

have been flung into a new view of life. Instead, he metaphorically changed denominations to

suit his tastes.

Jeremy:

After watching The Truman Show, I had noticed a variety of different themes, but one of

the ones that really jumped out involved thinking generally about the true nature of reality. I am

taking an intro philosophy class this semester; one of the first things topics involved a question

of epistemology: “how do we know what we know, and what is the true nature of reality?” We

discussed Cartesian skepticism, doubting what we perceive as reality, and how we really know

what we know. While watching The Truman Show, it made me think about the idea of being

watched. What if everything were to be a lie? Luckily for us, we have the truth of God in our

lives to guide us in all circumstances. God is truth, and that is what gives us the lens through

which to view life and our circumstance—through Christ and His Word.

The Bible includes many passages regarding truth; one of the most powerful ways that

God has made His truth available to us is through His Word. In Psalm 119:160 (ESV), the

Psalmist wrote, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures

forever.” The Bible also mentions that God’s word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto

our path, that it helps us to see the true reality of life before us, and that it gives us sound

understanding. Jesus prayed in John 17:17 (ESV) “Sanctify them in the truth; our word is truth.”

According to the presentation of scripture, the truth sets us free.

Not only does God give us His word by which to guide us and help us understand reality,

He also gives us His Spirit to testify to God and the truth of His word. Because of God’s Spirit

living within us, we know the reality of Christ and His word. Jesus refers to the Spirit as “The

Spirit of Truth”, and tells his disciples before He goes to His Father that he will send the

Comforter, the Spirit of Truth who will guide into all truth. Sometimes we may doubt the true

nature of reality or may wonder how can we really know what life is about, but luckily the Lord

has given us His word and His Spirit to help us know truth. Through the worldview afforded

through Christianity, we can truly know and understand life the way God intended it.

The following are a few questions to consider in light of the themes depicted in The

Truman Show: What forces drive you? Are these Divine; of God? How would you react if

you discovered that the sky was artificial? What would you expect to find beyond? Do you see

evidence of the Spirit revealing truth in your lives? How?