Why is Freedom Important: the Review of “The Truman Show”

Freedom is an important aspect of life as every individual is entitled to their human rights. In Peter Weir’s film “The Truman Show”, the concept of freedom is conveyed through Truman’s desire of wishing to be freed from the pretentious world controlled by Cristof. In why is freedom important essay this topic will be considered with the review of the film. 

Through the suspicious acts of those around him as well as the strange atmosphere of Seahaven, Truman was able to discover that the world was a false reality, which leads him to his desire of being free, which is one of the basic needs a human must have in order to survive in the real world. Weir conveys the basic human desire to be free through Truman’s constant need of wishing to leave Seahaven. While attempting to book a flight to Fiji, he was faced with problematic deeds from the production team such as severe weather announcements, Meryl persuading him to not go to Fiji and Marlon’s attempt of telling him to stay in Seahaven. This however, made Truman more determined to leave Seahaven as he felt uneasy about staying. In the middle scene, a full shot records the dialogue “Out of your job? What the hell is wrong with your job? You have a great job, Truman.”, the repetition of Truman’s ‘job’ emphasises the idea of Marlon attempting to persuade Truman into staying in Seahaven in order to make sure he does not leave. Marlon draws attention on Truman’s job in order to remind Truman that there is a pathway already planned out for him in Seahaven. Through the big close up shot on Truman’s face during the bridge scene, Truman realises that Marlon has lied to him about the things he mentioned about Fiji. His teary eyes also highlight that he feels betrayed that his friend has lied to him, which makes him more suspicious as to why everyone is trying to keep him in Seahaven. Because of this, he is eager to find out the truth about his life. For instance, “You know, there are still islands in Fiji where no human has ever set foot?”, the dialogue suggests that Marlon lied to Truman so he would not leave Seahaven, and by Truman realising this, it has made him even more determined to leave Seahaven as he feels agitated with those around him. Hence, Weir implies the idea of freedom through Truman’s suspicious surroundings, as well as Marlon lying to him, which makes him eager to leave Seahaven.

As the film advances, Weir conveys the idea of freedom in the ending scene. Through the high angle shot of his orchestrated escape by making the production team believe that he is asleep on the floor, he uses this time to escape Seahaven in order to be free. Weir portrays the idea of freedom in the scene of Truman escaping his home in order to make way for happiness. Through the use of a birds eye view shot in the scene of Truman sailing away from Seahaven, it demonstrates the idea of Truman being determined to leave Seahaven by boat despite having a fear of water and captures the long distance he has to travel. This conveys the idea of Truman’s determination in seeking for his freedom as he felt trapped in Seahaven and was determined to find his way out. Through the use of dialogue during the ending scene, “Is that the best you can do!? You’re gonna hafta’ .. Kill me!”, Truman shows the world that in order to achieve the freedom he yearns for, he must face every obstacle that is being thrown at him in order to survive. This suggests that despite Truman’s life being at stake, he was willing to challenge his fears in order to be happy again. Thus, Weir highlights the importance of freedom through Truman’s determination and positive mindset when facing his fears in order to achieve freedom in his life.

To conclude why freedom is important essay, Peter Weir’s film “The Truman Show” deeply analyses the importance of freedom through Truman’s aspiration of escaping Seahaven. As Truman faces obstacles such as overcoming his fears as well as questioning those around him, Truman is able to make his way out of Seahaven, discovering unknown truths along the way, which helps him obtain the freedom he desires.