Authentic relationships

The film explores the enduring need that humans have for authentic relationships, and the lengths they are willing to go to in order to secure them.

The false relationships that Truman has in his world are presented from the opening scenes. Truman's character is immediately represented as likeable when he says to his neighbours 'Good morning...oh, and in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night.' However, the authenticity of the relationship is undercut by the framing of Truman by his front door, which exaggerates a perfection that is unrealistic.

Truman's father

Truman's relationship with his father examines the need for genuine, caring connections. The powerful role of his father in his life is shown in the scene where Truman is sitting alone on the beach at night and we are shown a flashback to the day his father was knocked overboard and presumably drowned. The sad music playing softly in the background adds to the emotion of the scene and the viewer feels sympathy for Truman because of his loss and his ultimate isolation within the fabricated world. The importance of this relationship is evident when Truman sees the actor who played his father dressed as a homeless person near his work. The near silence of the moment when the two make eye contact, and Truman's tentative question of 'Dad?', communicates the strength of Truman's affection for his (presumed) father, which is then swiftly cut short by the dramatic fast-paced music that begins as the two strangers pick up Kirk and drive him away. Christof plays on Truman's desire for this genuine relationship when he later reintroduces Kirk by fabricating that he had amnesia. This is a device typical of TV soap operas, reinforcing the artificiality of Truman's life.

Task

1. What are some of the film techniques used here to indicate the intervention of Christof and the production team in the encounter between Truman and Kirk?

2. Explain how humour is used here to both engage the audience and also start to reflect Truman's growing scepticism.

Lauren / Sylvia

Truman's desire for authentic relationships is seen in his enduring love for Sylvia. We are shown a close-up of Truman in his office, hunched over the phone trying to find Sylvia:

TRUMAN: "Do you have a listing for a Lauren Garland? Nothing listed...ok, do you have a Sylvia? S for Sylvia? Nothing...ok."

This love also becomes a symbol for Truman's desire for freedom, seen in his secret attempt to create and accurate portrait of her face from pictures ripped from magazines. The importance of this relationship is reflected by the cutting to a shot of Sylvia at home, watching lovingly as Truman creates a pastiche portrait.

Truman's secret love is evidenced in his home as well, where he keeps a trunk in the basement with a map of Fiji and a plastic bag that contains Lauren's sweater. An overhead shot reveals Truman going into the trunk which cuts to an extreme close-up on the trunk's lock, reinforcing his desire for privacy. The map on the inside of the trunk's lid symbolises his longing for escape. Then there is an immediate cut to the viewers watching the show, which then facilitates the inclusion of a 'flashback' to Truman as a teenager when he first sees Lauren. Truman's playfulness with the trumpet cuts to a zoom-in on the red-haired Lauren and their moment of eye contact.

In the library, Truman identifies Lauren by her turquoise bracelet, which acts a symbol of desire and personal freedom. The introduction of romantic, non-diegetic music captures Truman's emotional interest in her, seen from an overhead perspective shot. Lauren's uneasy, nervous facial expression, coupled with a close-up of her badge with its pointed message about the show - 'How's it all going to end?' - foreshadows Truman's own existential crisis as he begins to search for truth and real human connections. The climax of the scene is Lauren being kidnapped on the beach and her desperate revelation that 'It's a fake, it's all for you, it's a set'.

At the end of the film, when Truman has decided to escape, there is a close- up of Sylvia touching his face on her television screen. This scene is directly mirrored by Christof moments later when he touches a huge projection of Truman's face. However, Sylvia's actions stem from her unconditional love for Truman and her desire for his freedom, while Christof's love for him is domineering and it is conditional on Truman obeying Christof's commands.

Task

1.Explain how symbolism is used to portray the yearning for authentic human relationships and connections. For example the colour red in the sequence above.

2. Choose several scenes in which shots of eyes feature prominently. Eyes are often symbols for the human soul and intimate connection. Explain how these scenes use the recurring motif of the eyes to develop this theme.

3. Compare and contrast the differences in the characterisation between Meryl and Lauren. What is the director saying about authenticity?

4. What role do women play in Truman's life? Comment on how they relate to his yearning for freedom?

5. How wide is the range of female characterisation in this film? Comment on how effective this is and how it could be improved.

Paragraph writing

Write a 250 word PEEL paragraph in response to:

"How does Weir use the characterisation of Lauren to develop the theme of the search for authentic relationships and human connection?"

Marlon

The relationship between Marlon and Truman is complex. Marlon has grown up with Truman from childhood and this has cemented a genuine affection between the two. However, Marlon knows of the fabricated world Truman lives in and this undermines the authenticity of their friendship. This relationship is difficult for the viewers, who feel both frustration with Marlon but also sympathy for him. When Truman is distressed and coming to realise there is something very wrong with his reality he seeks out the one person he trusts, his best friend.

The scene in the general store where Marlon is filling the vending machine effectively reveals the way Marlon prefers to protect the facade of the Truman Show and his own job, over having a truthful and authentic relationship with his friend. The camera work is clever, with most of the action being shot from within the vending machine, effectively framing the conversation with the artifice of the machine. The vending machine is a transactional device - money in return for snacks. Here is symbolises how the actor playing Marlon takes a transactional approach to his relationship with Truman - he's only interested in the benefit he can extract for himself and not his friend's needs.

Days later, after Truman's fight with Meryl, the two men sit on the edge of a symbolic bridge to nowhere and Marlon uses emotional manipulation to dissuade Truman from working out the reality of his situation. He does this by reflecting on the authenticity of their friendship from childhood: 'Whatever the answer was, were right together, we were wrong together. You're the closest thing I ever had to a brother, Truman...the point is...' and there is a cut to a shot of Christof feeding the lines to Marlon behind the scenes:

MARLON: "And the last thing I would ever do...is lie to you. I mean, think about it Truman. If everybody's in on it, I'd have to be in on it too. I'm not in on it Truman, because there is no 'it'.

Weir uses this emotional scene between the two men to highlight how important trust and honesty are within relationships and how precious these can be in a world where individuals may put their own personal gain over the lives of others.

Analysis Table

Authentic Relationships TQE

Paragraph writing

Write a 250 word PEEL paragraph in response to:

"How does Weir use film techniques here to explore the importance of authentic human relationships?"

Christof

Christof clearly cares about Truman, as we see from the scene where he is caressing the image of a sleeping Truman on the giant screen with green tinge, connoting a fatherly love towards his son.

Christof tries to justify his control of every aspect of Truman's life by claiming that it is the real world in which Sylvia lives "That is sick. There is no more truth in your world than there is in his." This reflects Christof's alienation from the real world, and his nostalgic yearning for an imagined, simpler time, possibly the world of his childhood. Seahaven is a projection of Christof's nostalgic fantasy, a return to clearly-defined gender roles and smaller communities of the past where everyone knows each other, in contrast to the anonymous life of the modern metropolis.

The only relationship we see Christof having is the one with Truman, and that is clearly an alienated one because it is mediated by technology and control. Christof would like to believe that Truman needs him and the comfort Seahaven provides, but it is actually the opposite: Christof needs Truman and Seahaven, to relive his idealised childhood and escape from the modern world that repulses him. When Truman leaves Seahaven, Christof loses the only human connection he has.

Task

Why do you think Weir included this scene?

Creative Writing Task

Write an imaginative/persuasive piece in the voice of Christof, where he defends himself and his actions.
Imagine that the Truman Show has just been cancelled because Truman finally escaped. All of the sponsors have now left and Christof has been left without a job. He is reflecting back on the thirty years of the show and has decided to write this piece where he argues that he was right to create the show and to continue to maintain the façade of the show even if it meant invading Truman's privacy. Your piece should draw on Christof's positive childhood experiences during the golden era of "American Dream" and the nostalgia he holds for them. It should also make an argument about how the real world is "sick" and what he created in Seahaven was superior.
Write a piece around 800 words. It could be more of an imaginative piece, which uses figurative language and poetic language. Or it could be a persuasive piece which includes persuasive writing techniques. For example: anecdotes, analogies, evidence, rhetorical questions, repetition like anaphora to back up his argument.

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