Shutter Island

Summary

Shutter Island is a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was released on February 19th 2010. Leonardo DeCaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels who is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a Mental Institute on Shutter Island. But as Teddy delves deeper into the mystery the lines begin to blur and he starts to question his identity and sanity.

Analysis of Narrative Structure

Shutter Island in fact features all of the narrative features listed in my previous post on thriller films and their characters, making this film a perfect one to analyse when applying the narrative conventions.

From the very start of the film we are informed as an audience that Teddy has faced death, inn this case the death of another. Straight away this makes our protagonist vulnerable and is already at a disadvantage to any villains' or foes he may face. The opposing forces to Teddy are arguably stronger as they make him abide by the laws of the hospital and applying laws to him even though he is a law enforcement officer. Teddy follows a quest and is tasked with solving a mystery, which is indeed dominated by his point of view. As he is an agent for the law the idea of justice is obviously present and Teddy does indeed face moral challenges. There is an element of innocence for Teddy and the final battle does indeed end in him facing his enemy on a mental level.

Character Study: Teddy Daniels (SPOILERS)

Teddy Daniels is an interesting character and one that we initially feel comfortable and safe with as he is a US Marshal, a symbol standing for justice and ultimately 'good'. However as the mystery thickens Teddy begins to lose himself and the cracks start to show. We learn that the MacGuffin within the film this "patient 67" is actually Teddy himself and that the mental challenge and enemy he faces is really within his own mind. It is a clever twist and one that sees our hero actually become a man drowned in guilt and in denial of his criminal actions.