Shutter Island (2010) is either the film with the most gas-lighting or the most unreliable narrator, depending on how the viewer looks at it. The fact that it chooses neither is what makes the movie a Gothic masterpiece. No narrative is completely true, nor is either side completely right. Although Teddie plays the role of the Gothic hero trapped in a decaying building faced with numerous gas-lighting Gothic tyrants (from Chuck to Cawley, you choose), he isn’t completely absolved of his flaws. Even if his side is true, he’s still prone to angry outbursts, making him appear to be unreliable. On the other hand, the asylum is in poor condition with ex-Nazi doctors in charge of innocent mentally ill individuals, making it out to be a devious and lying institution. The lack of a definite good or evil present in the narrative is what provides the audience to map the story out themselves in a postmodern tradition also utilized in Michael Haneke’s Cache.
The reason this film excels at providing the viewer freedom lies within the evidence that is gradually spoon-fed to them over the course of the story. Every scene, a new detail is revealed or a new piece of the puzzle is introduced. A flashback illustrates Teddie’s war trauma. A conversation reveals the institution is funded by HUAC. An observation notes that the warden is an “ex-military prick.” A dream suggests a possible past where Teddie carries his dead daughter, alluding to a bigger untold story. A new character is seamlessly introduced into the narrative to suggest a different angle that certain characters like Chuck are not to be trusted or that hospital is drugging Teddie. Underneath the twists and turns of the film is a purposeful structure that serves as a flow chart spanning in several different directions. Whichever direction is true is up to the viewer.
Shutter Island denies the traditional narrative in weaving its own mystery and playing with the concept of memory. What we remember is the foundation of who we are. Things happen to people that shape them, and people commit actions that define their personalities. This is why Teddie is such a frantic character throughout the movie. He loses track of his story and is left distraught and desperate for answer. In the end, he’s given a choice: to die as the good man Teddie or live on as the monster Andrew. Like the viewer, he must choose one narrative or the other. Clearly, Teddie chooses the former, because even with such little time left alive, he wants remember himself as a good man.
Whether or not the viewer thinks the same is their choice.
The CineMan Twist 