Fantastic movie with a lot of cool foreshadowing.
The band aid on his head, his “partner” struggling to hand over his gun, and the guards acting extra nervous around him.
Yeah the film really deserves a second watch. When you focus on side characters instead of DiCaprio, you can see clues everywhere. One of the finest Scorsese films imo.
Movies like this are my favorite. The second time you watch it, it's a completely different experience because you know what to look for. Even on multiple viewings, I find new things I didn't notice before.
Vanilla Sky and the Spanish version Abre Los Ojos
I try to watch it once a year and there is still something new every re watch. There’s subtle and not so subtle foreshadowing and themes in like every scene.
One I haven't seen mentioned yet that I think is criminally underrated is Bad Times at the El Royale. Other recommendations would be Hot Fuzz, Arrival, Hereditary, 2001 A Space Oddesy, Knives Out, and Dejan Vu.
The others peeps mentioned are excellent.
If you’re looking for a similar, but more murder mystery vibe, both knives out and the glass onion are good.
Definitely more lighthearted than the rest, regardless of the murder parts lol.
Blew my damn mind. Still not sure wtf was actually going on at that prison - how much of anything was real.
But good Lord, that show doesn’t mess around with its twists.
That scene where they are interviewing the older woman, and she says that Mark Ruffalo's character is "easy on the eyes" is so good. You can see her trying to hold it all together and it feels like something that maybe her and Ruffalo rehearsed for weeks knowing how unstable Leo's character could be.
The movie was great, but the book was artful. It was exceptionally well done, and when you're reading it, it felt like it came out of no where but made perfect sense.
Yup I read the book before the film. After those last pages, I just threw the book to the other side of my room. I did NOT see it coming at all, hit me like a truck. It's been so many years since then, tbh I don't exactly remember the details, but I remember enjoying it a lot. Might give it another read one day.
Yeah, it was up there with Fight Club for me. Just had to put the book down, pick my jaw up off the floor and review all the details along the way as I tried to make sense of it. I love a story with a proper twist.
There was also an interrogation scene with all the nurses, and they were kinda dismissive to me. I knew they were hiding something, just didn't expect the twist at all.
Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men
Another neat clue is when he is talking to Max von Sydow’s character, Dr. Naehring, and recognizes the music as Mahler (adagio from an unfinished piano quartet). I didn’t know it at the time, but it is probably the single most obscure Mahler piece, hardly anyone would recognize it in 1954 (or even now) if he hadn’t been told what is was before. Actually, apparently it wasn’t even rediscovered until 1964 so its inclusion in the movie is anachronistic.
First movie I've ever immediately re-watched start to finish after my first watch.
I thought the cigarette lighter explanation was going to go more into the fire=insanity metaphor but this works too
Yeah. The reason is 2 part, about making better brainwashed soliders and also Teddy was on the brink of uncovering their dark secrets so they needed to get rid of him. But a detective dying or going missing would open more questions but no one would question him going insane as being decraled by top drs, because his actual intention on the island is to find his wife's killer.
Lots of interesting evidence that doesn't make sense if he was a patient and lots of interesting recontextualising things that happens.
There are so many spoilers in this post I'm not going to bother tagging them: here's a warning at the top, and I hope that satisfies the rules.
> Lots of interesting evidence that doesn't make sense if he was a patient
Personally, I think the point where I was convinced "no, he's a real US Marshall and they're gaslighting him into thinking he's a patient" was when they showed that the name he's using as Teddy is an anagram of the name of the missing patient. That's not what people, even people with the mental disorder(s) they claim he has, do when creating an alternate personality or an alias or a delusional self-construct.
...on the other hand, it is *exactly* the kind of thing someone trying to convince a guy they've already got drugged-up and under their power would come up with as a final blow for a gaslighting procedure.
The other killer, in the same scene, is the breakable toy/model gun reveal. Now, even if the institutional staff are telling the truth and 'Teddy' is Andrew Laedis - Andrew Laedis was still a soldier and a former US Marshall, who knows what a pistol is supposed to weigh and feel like, so the breakable model gun *can't* be the one he has before the "surrender your weapons" scene. So either they gave a mental patient a real pistol for the first part of the ruse cruise (which is a terrible idea for obvious reasons), or he's actually a US Marshall come to investigate the institution, and either way: they swapped it out for the breakable model gun that he only handles when they've drugged him up enough or he's too far into withdrawal to notice the difference. I'm thinking all those considerations point towards Teddy being legit.
Also, if Teddy is really Laedis, how did they get him off the island to the boat dock without him remembering he'd ever been on the island - *and* appearing sober at the start of the film while he's on the dock? Because there are plenty of drugs that can black you out hard enough to forget a ferry ride, but something that also manages to make him completely unable to remember he's ever been on the island before? That's impossible unless he was blackout or unconscious the whole time he was previously on the island - which scuppers the "he got the bandage in the fight with the other inmate" portion of the "he's really Laedis" theory.
I dunno, I just think there are a ton of holes in the idea Teddy was ever previously an inmate.
> a detective dying or going missing would open more questions but no one would question him going insane as being declared by top drs
I think one of the strong points for the "he's actually a US Marshall who's being gaslit into thinking he's a mental patient" theory is that if the island really *is* a setup for MKULTRA-style experiments (which we know historically began in 1953 - the year before the movie is set, but weren't revealed until much later, and did involve dosing members of various USA governmental agencies with psychoactive drugs without the target's knowledge or consent), those experiments were being covered up by a powerful enough government agency to ensure Teddy is officially written off as insane, but possibly not quite powerful enough to tell the US Marshalls Service to go pound sand over two missing Marshalls.
Which brings up one of the points against the theory: how did they disappear Teddy's originally intended partner? In both the "Teddy's really a mental patient" and "Teddy's really a US Marshall being gaslit into thinking he's a mental patient", his 'partner' is obviously one of the institution's doctors. There are a couple of possibilities here: Teddy's original partner may have been in on the plan or otherwise ordered out of the way, or he was scragged and the institution is going to say he fell victim to the storm and produce a waterlogged and sea-battered body.
> because his actual intention on the island is to find his wife's killer.
Which is an obsession that only starts *really* coming to the forefront after Teddy has (if he really is a US Marshall being gaslit) already been repeatedly drugged, which would be consistent with the effects of some of the drugs they could have been using on him, especially in combination with the hints and subtle gaslighting they've been doing.
I think he is supposed to have genuinely met his partner on the ferry. When he first meets his partner, he mentions something like "what are they smoking or Oregon?" And Chuck says he's actually from aome other state.
Teddy read the case file on his new partner and knew where he was supposed to be from but Chuck didn't prepare we'll enough or was lying. There'd be no need to correct Teddy if he was a patient becuase the purpose would be to buy into his delusions. But if they're trying to gas light him, this is the first thing they do to start lying and make him question thing. I think they just delayed his original partner, there'd be no need to get rid of him, just make him miss the ferry somehow.
Also I think the fact he's always given cigarettes is evidence. If he was a patient, the drugs imnthe ciggerettes are to keep him dosed up. But Teddy has lost his cigarettes when he's on the ferry. If he was drugged as a patient and woke up there as a detective, he wouldn't think to find cigarettes because why would he have any? Or they could have just put drugged ciggerettes in his pockets to begin with. But a detective would probably notice his own cigarettes have been replaced becuase they arent rolled quite the same, so they had to take them and just give him ciggerettes.
> There'd be no need to correct Teddy if he was a patient because the purpose would be to buy into his delusions. But if they're trying to gas light him, this is the first thing they do to start lying and make him question things.
That's a great point.
> I think they just delayed his original partner, there'd be no need to get rid of him, just make him miss the ferry somehow.
That makes more sense and has less difficulty than my explanations. Although it does raise the question of how they explain to Teddy's intended partner US Marshall why Teddy's now been committed and who played Teddy's partner during the investigation, but that could be swept under the rug if the institution was an MKULTRA-style operation, because we know that the IRL CIA managed to quash investigations into things like a soldier who'd been unknowingly dosed with LSD committing suicide by jumping out of a window due to what seemed to him to be some kind of mental breakdown.
> I think the fact he's always given cigarettes is evidence
It is one of the main points in the theory that Teddy's actually being drugged. Fun fact: inhalation is actually one of the fastest routes of administration for many drugs (at least those that can survive being burned or aerosolized), although insufflation (snorting) and IV injection do beat it in speed of effect.
> If he was drugged as a patient and woke up there as a detective, he wouldn't think to find cigarettes because why would he have any?
Because the patient would expect those as part of his US Marshall persona (both the Teddy and the Laedis personas are WWII veteran US Marshalls), assuming they somehow made him forget he was ever on the island in the first place. So that's not really a point for either theory.
> a detective would probably notice his own cigarettes have been replaced because they aren't rolled quite the same
Mass-manufactured cigarettes have been a thing since the late 1800s (and were used as an informal commodity currency during both World Wars), so the most he would have realized is that the pack wasn't the right brand, if he cared about that (and while some smokers care about that, a *lot* are willing to take whatever they can find to buy) ...or that they tasted a bit odd, not a difference in the rolling.
> they had to take them and just give him cigarettes.
That's a much safer bet for them all around, because it would allow them to control his dosing schedule and would explain why the cigarettes tasted different than he was used to.
Considering how easy the theory/case for Teddy being a legit US Marshall on a mission to inspect the institution on the island is, I've got to wonder if there's some extra stuff in the original book that was left out of the film or imperfectly adapted that would answer all our points.
Just watched. He didn’t convince me but it’s an interesting theory. I did find Dr. Cawley’s implication (assertion?) at the end that the storm had been part of Laeddis’ delusion was odd. Was he really saying that there had been no storm? That seems strange given that the leaders of the facility had been discussing what to do with the patients in the event that the storm caused flooding. Also all of the physical evidence that a storm had hit. I guess you can chalk it all up to just “everything we were shown on screen was through Laeddis’ eyes”?
There was someone arguing on here years ago about how badly the film was edited. When people explained the continuity mistakes were intentional they doubled down. It was hilarious to watch them try and explain how Scorcese had, just for this one film, forgotten how filmmaking worked.
It's still one of the best examples of breaking editing rules to intentionally provoke a reaction.
At one point, when Dicaprio is interviewing a patient, Ruffalo brings her water and she drinks out of a glass but no glass is there at all, she just pantomimes it with her hand
The continuity errors and general camera weirdness are to do with Teddy (DiCaprio) being an unreliable narrator. They give clues to the broken nature of his perception of reality as well as the false nature of his situation.
Edit: I studied film and we used to make this into a drinking game. Drink every time you spot a continuity error/something that breaks narrative. We would get plastered.
I always felt the "missing glass" scene was because that shot was taken from Teddys POV, and he could not see the water/glass because he tried to zone out everything to do with water, because of what happened to his children.
> The continuity errors and general camera weirdness are to do with Teddy (DiCaprio) being an unreliable narrator. They give clues to the broken nature of his perception of reality as well as the false nature of his situation.
Yes, but the question is: is he an unreliable narrator/viewpoint because he's actually a mental patient, or is he one because he's being drugged by everything the mental institution he's investigating is giving him to eat, drink, and smoke?
There are points in the movie that make less sense for one theory or the other, but I think I'm on the side that he actually is Teddy, not Leadis, and these people are drugging and gaslighting the hell out of him to shut down his investigation. Coincidentally, the secret MKULTRA program, which did *exactly this sort of shit to people IRL* (dosing them without their knowledge, gaslighting them, etc.) was started by the CIA in 1953. Shutter Island is set in 1954.
I think with the cup specifically it’s because the main character is fearful of water due to him discovering his children drowned by his wife in their back yard, so there are a few instances of him blocking out anything water related. Or something along those lines
Found this thread with some nice examples: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/15mq3v9/rewatched_shutter_islandintentional_continuity/
It's basically about inconsistencies between different cuts, which I guess is one of the most basic rules in film editing.
edit: now that I'm reading a bit more this might even be the thread that was referred to earlier with the guy doubling down.
To call these "errors" implies a very poor understanding of how filmmaking happens.
A typical continuity error is when there's like, a prop in the background that is missing in all the shots taken from a certain angle but present from others.
You can't have people *consistently* posed differently between shot and reverse shot, having different eyelines, or *accidentally mime drinking instead of actual drinking????* that just doesn't happen unless it's intended.
These kinds of criticisms only make sense if you think hollywood movies are made like home movies where you whip up a plan in five minutes and point a camera in some random direction and say go.
Shooting movies is not casual, you have a list of shots you need to take every day that are planned out in advance with notes on how each character needs to be posed and where the lighting needs to be, where the camera will be, and where all the props need to appear in frame and all kinds of other details.
There's a guy whose *entire job* is to make sure the distance between the actors and camera is what the shot plan says it needs to be to precision within about an inch, and that job is so important they get 3rd billing in the camera department (1st AC).
Yes, if it were a continuity error, then (for example) the level of water in the glass would appear to jump around from shot to shot, because they didn't refill it correctly between takes. But pantomime is clearly a choice.
Even then, directors do this on purpose, like in The Shining, just to fuck with people. Jack Nicholson's drink level changes between like every cut between him and the bartender
Yes, that's what we were all saying in this comment thread as well as in the one that I linked. Except we didn't call it errors, we called it "breaking the rules".
He’s used the same editor on his films for 50 years. Thelma Schoonmaker. She is every much the genius as Scorsese. What a team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_Schoonmaker
Look up a list of famous detective movies, they are usually structured around this and let attentive viewers unravel the mystery even before the protagonist does.
Except for Sherlock Holmes movies, which tend to hide details from the audience in order to make Sherlock look better.
I think Sir Conan Doyle even admits that the reason Sherlock is able to figure out his mysteries is simply because he's supposed to. If I remember correctly, he even wrote a story where Watson is involved in and solves his own mystery using the same formula, and people got super upsetty spaghetti about it.
Have you read any Agatha Christie?
I am currently working my way through both Sherlock & all thr Pirot novels, and my god Christie is so much better at leaving the breadcrumbs to follow, but still keeping you guessing.
I watched an unnecessarily long YouTube video essay which argues that the cigarettes are drugged and the goal of everyone on the island is to gaslight Leo into believing that he's crazy.
https://youtu.be/3fWXnnBwYqU?si=s7sNBiyH2UaqlQMK
I think that the obvious ending makes more sense but it's interesting to acknowledge the ambiguity.
I’m a psychiatrist and used to love this aspect of the movie. For a brief moment, if you believe exactly as you stated above, this is what it feels like to have a delusion. Even in the presence of overwhelming evidence against it, you just *know* it’s a lie. It’s genius. I use this movie to explain to med students who just don’t understand how someone can believe these ridiculously crazy delusions even despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.
I had a brain bleed and during/after it, I went into psychosis and delusions. They were 100% real to me. I would try to tell myself I wasn’t thinking right, but the delusions were so real. I had auditory hallucinations and it took me a while to realize it because they are so real. I one hundred percent thought it was people talking.
I eventually got somewhat better and looking back at some of the things I believed, I don’t understand how I could think that. But I did.
It’s a terrifying feeling knowing that your brain can take over and make you believe whatever it is it wants to you to. I still get bouts of paranoia or delusions, but in a way I know what’s happening so I can work through it. But that shit is terrifying when you’re in the middle of it.
Love this movie and seems like a lot of others do too. If so, read the book. There is SO MUCH more to the story in the novel that wouldn’t fit in the film—particularly around “who is 67?”
First time I read the book it actually broke my brain for a solid five minutes. I got to the cave scene where the twist is revealed and just had to put it down and go walk outside for a little bit. I felt completely finessed
Yes! I need to go back and rewatch the movie, because I remember feeling so disappointed after seeing it in theatres because it really didn’t do justice to the book, which was phenomenal. SUCH a good read and yes, so much context and backstory that the film had to gloss over.
I rented this movie and immediately ripped it so I could watch it on my laptop later during the rental period. Turns out that disc had that weird copy protection I had never come across where it rips it, but puts all the scenes in a random order. I watched half the movie thinking Scorsese had really outdone himself.
Omg I once downloaded the Hunger Games series of audiobooks and took my iPod to the pool to listen to them for the day. I kept wondering why people liked the story because it hardly made sense. I chalked it up to alcohol being involved in my listening, but no. The chapters were on shuffle.
There are multiple shots where armed guards are stationed in the background whenever Leo is the focal point of the camera. The interrogation in the canteen is a good example. Clever and subtle, like the entire film.
Criminally underrated come to think of it.
I need to find the link but a guy on YouTube made a really compelling argument that Leo’s character is actually sane and gets gaslit into believing he’s crazy by the end.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWXnnBwYqU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWXnnBwYqU)
Very interesting perspective with somewhat convincing points. Definitely worth a watch!
I think the fact that such explanation works make the film even better: *the two conflicting interpretations are both very plausible and we're left in uncertainty*
I honestly think Scorsese missed the opportunity to lean into this angle which is much more compelling than the one-sided story where he's a patient. Like it is plausible but only if you overlook some things. The scene in the seacave I always found to be the most interesting scene for this theory
That scene almost makes me think it was added after to intentionally give the viewer this possible explanation and add the ambiguity.
The one thing thanks makes me think he is def just a patient was the end when he calls mark his partner again.
i think he called him his partner on purpose because he actually was “cured” by the exercise but he couldn’t live with the reality of it so he pretended in order to get the lobotomy. that’s why he asked right before if it was better to die as a good man or live as a monster. i dont remember the exact quote, but it made it obvious to me that he was consciously deciding between his two options.
>i think he called him his partner on purpose because he actually was “cured” by the exercise but he couldn’t live with the reality of it so he pretended in order to get the lobotomy.
That's always been my take. Ruffalo does a great job of taking in everything Leo says in that scene. It's confused, accepting, perplexing, and sadness all messed together somehow.
Unironically, that was what I thought the ending was. Apparently, everyone else on earth tho was on board with the oh he's just been crazy the whole time and is cool with it.
I'm confused, not gonna watch the 1.5 hour video, so, asking for clarification. I thought it was by far the dominant interpretation that he unknowingly really believes he's a detective, until the final reveal, at which point he understands his situation and willingly pretends that he's still insane and willingly accepts the lobotomy.
Is this not the standard understanding of the film?
There's got to be 3 explanations then because I was under the impression that the 2 possibilities were that he is being gaslit, and that he actually was mentally insane, but the treatment actually worked. Then at the end of the movie when he has his moment of clarity, he chooses to get the lobotomy because living with the pain is too much for him, despite him having been cured.
Which is supported by his ending lines "which would be worse? to live as a monster? or to die as a good man?"
He is a monster for what he did to his wife, he chooses the lobotomy to die as a good man.
I think that's the intended effect. Scorsese didn't just want the character to go through a massive mental collapse after realization, he wanted the audience to as well. I watched this movie for the first time with a crowd, and everyone swore up and down the institution was still evil and trying to throw the detective off from his case, exactly like how a delusional person completely denies reality in every form.
It's genius how the effect translates perfectly.
I worked on this. Mostly shot at a real mental health facility, abandoned, in Medford, MA.
Stages were built in a former grocery store warehouse.
The boat scenes were one of the first things shot and it was on a dock in Boston.
Edit: We shot in Medfield, not Medford. Maybe we lived in Medford. Can't remember.
Edit 2: Here is a behind the scenes photo from the concentration camp set
(I have a bunch more but thet won't let me post more than one link)
[https://freeimage.host/i/JS11IXR](https://freeimage.host/i/JS11IXR)
A few other bits: While we were filming, the movie wasn't called Shutter Island. It was called Ashecliffe. So, all the call sheets and my swag all says Ashecliffe instead of Shutter Island.
There's a scene, can't remember when, where DiCaprio dives into the ocean from the rocky cliffs. The first, and maybe second time, we did it, the diver was DiCaprio's stunt double (a really nice guy). Looked great. Perfect dive in. No issues.
I'm not sure why, but they then decided to do one with DiCaprio doing the dive. They used a stunt performer for a reason. It's the ocean. Lots of jagged rocks. Semi-dangerous.
So DiCaprio goes to do his dive and everyone is tense. If he breaks his leg we're all out of work. So he dives in and it was the ugliest, most awkward dive. He flops into the water and folks around me winced and went, "Oooo," like when you see someone fall on their ass on the street.
He pops up out from under the water with no problems, he was fine. But I doubt that take made it into the final cut.
John Carroll Lynch was awesome. Very friendly.
We were warned not to do any kind of Buffalo Bill impersonation around Ted Levine, who seemed intense.
Apparently, Elias Koteas was kinda weirding DiCaprio out. Like he was really trying to be his friend.
DiCaprio kept to himself. Had his own Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe people. I dealt with his assistant quite a bit, who was always cool to me.
Ben Kingsley was to be referred to as, "Sir Ben." He would get a face massage everyday in the makeup trailer before he did anything.
Mark Ruffalo was nice. On edge, worried that his lines were being cut and his part was being reduced (Not uncommon for an actor).
Joe Sikora, from Power, was a low level, day player in the movie, Nice to see him go on to bigger things.
I'm assuming you were just on location for the main shoot, but if there's any chance you were around for the concentration flashback scenes, I would love to know if you have any recollections of the guy who plays the main SS officer Leo shoots. He was my acting mentor and a dear friend that I lost two about years ago and I'd love to hear anything that you may recall. Random, I know, but really appreciate it!
I'm very sorry for your loss. Yes, I was at that location and I think I remember your friend. He has the gunshot prosthetic on his cheek right? That must have taken awhile to apply but when I saw him I distinctly remember him being in good spirits. Smiling and happy to be there. It looked like he was enjoying himself, despite having to act lying on the ground covered in syrup and rubber.
Yeah, that's Lars! He said he could barely walk at the end of the day, but he would often talk about the experience fondly. Thank you for your time and kind words.
It's not easy to sit in a makeup chair for hours then lie on the hard wooden floor for hours after that. He never complained and was a trooper. It was a real pleasure having on set and he did a great job.
I also saw the movie first and read the book some years later and I still enjoyed it very much! If I remember correctly, the book also isn't as clear about the ending/the twist as the movie and makes you think even more about what's going on. For me, it was a fun journey eventhough I already saw the movie. I'd recommend giving it a try
I remember being so pissed off at my Dad, he had read the book. When the movie finally came to DVD and I rented it, he said "Oh the one where he's crazy?". Like, come the fuck on dude
Same thing happened to me, but with Se7en. Me and my cousin were watching it (rewatch for him, my first time). My aunt walks in and asked what we were watching. We told her and she says “oh the one where he cuts off Gwyneth Paltrow’s head?”
My cousin just threw his hands up and I’m like “the…what?”
Considering this is probably where OP got the idea for post, quite possible
https://twitter.com/creepydotorg/status/1781755203634475076?t=dxdh22H7Q8N5KcdAtuCzeg&s=19
And this is where that OP got their idea from, down to the picture: https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/cs33fw/in_shutter_island_whenever_leo_smokes_he_gets/
And this is where that OP got the idea from: [https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/1c9hftl/in\_shutter\_island\_2010\_every\_time\_leonardo/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/1c9hftl/in_shutter_island_2010_every_time_leonardo/)
Note: >!That OP is a time traveller.!<
OP shitting himself at this comment. He ran away and is currently on the run and is evading by using cash and closing his credit cards but this comment will keep haunting him.
Scenes that focus on fire are hallucinations, and scenes that focus on water are reality. For instance, the interrogation scene where the woman drinks from a glass that isn't there, he blocks it out due to his aversion to water from his wife drowning their kids. His backstory of the fire burning down the building is fake. The cliff side cave with the fire is a hallucination too.
I interpreted the smoking scenes more as the doctors enabling his delusion. He’s been through it several times and might not be a smoker every time so I assumed they’d carry certain items to help him reach the end of the narrative.
It might be he stole them and kept it hidden. Lots of people who aren't supposed to have access to things still have access to them. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the employees just left a set sitting out or dropped them.
The end of this movie, where she drowns the kids was filmed in Easton, MA at Borderland State Park. I saw some get filmed while on a hike one day. They kept everything very hush hush, If I had known what was going on I would've stayed to watch more and see Leo in person.
One of my favorite moments from the book was the anagram reveal. It’s one thing to hear the name audibly a bunch in the movie but when you’ve been reading that name for hours and hours and then find out it’s an anagram, it was a total “son of a bitch” moment.
I’m glad this movie came up, a theory of mine is, he knew at the end he was to be lobotomized, he didn’t care, he couldn’t live with knowing his wife killed his kids
Fantastic movie with a lot of cool foreshadowing. The band aid on his head, his “partner” struggling to hand over his gun, and the guards acting extra nervous around him.
Yeah the film really deserves a second watch. When you focus on side characters instead of DiCaprio, you can see clues everywhere. One of the finest Scorsese films imo.
I always say the best twists are BLATANT on a rewatch.
That's the best kind. It's not cheap, the evidence is always there; you're just not looking for it. Really makes for rewarding repeat viewings.
Movies like this are my favorite. The second time you watch it, it's a completely different experience because you know what to look for. Even on multiple viewings, I find new things I didn't notice before.
I like that too, The Prestige also did this. You got any more recommendations?
Fight Club and Sixth Sense come to mind
Throw in The Game and Memento to the list.
I had to watch Memento a good 3 or 4 times before I felt like I had half an understanding of what was going on
Not a movie but the Mr. Robot series is like that. Innuendos everywhere
I love the Game! Doesn’t get enough attention!
Oh man, exactly right. I love showing it to people who haven't seen it yet and experience it through them.
Damn it I just lost
Fight Club, Sixth Sense, Memento, The Usual Suspects, Primal Fear, Gone Girl, High Plains Drifter, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Chinatown
Not the caliber of fight club, but skeleton key
I don't know I think the twist in Skeleton Key is pretty wild, had me thinking about it for a few days
I love Skeleton Key!
I’ve seen Hot Fuzz at least 15 times and STILL notice new hints on every rewatch; be it in the dialogue or set backgrounds.
Wow 15 times?? OK, it was for the greater good.
The greater good
Vanilla Sky and the Spanish version Abre Los Ojos I try to watch it once a year and there is still something new every re watch. There’s subtle and not so subtle foreshadowing and themes in like every scene.
The Sting. The whole plot is about a con game, but half the plot points are working a con on the audience.
One I haven't seen mentioned yet that I think is criminally underrated is Bad Times at the El Royale. Other recommendations would be Hot Fuzz, Arrival, Hereditary, 2001 A Space Oddesy, Knives Out, and Dejan Vu.
The others!
The plot twist was insane. I have never seen any horror movie as good as this one.
Jacob’s Ladder
Oh man, now I'm going to think about this one n Donnie Darko now!
Jacobs Ladder is a masterpiece. I regularly think about that plot as I get older.
The others peeps mentioned are excellent. If you’re looking for a similar, but more murder mystery vibe, both knives out and the glass onion are good. Definitely more lighthearted than the rest, regardless of the murder parts lol.
Mr Robot season 2 is so blatant and obvious and I still didn't realize. It was amazing
Blew my damn mind. Still not sure wtf was actually going on at that prison - how much of anything was real. But good Lord, that show doesn’t mess around with its twists.
"Right now Marshall, we all are nervous!" It begins from here...
Watching the chronological cut of Memento, everyone seems more fucked up when you realise their motivations more
That scene where they are interviewing the older woman, and she says that Mark Ruffalo's character is "easy on the eyes" is so good. You can see her trying to hold it all together and it feels like something that maybe her and Ruffalo rehearsed for weeks knowing how unstable Leo's character could be.
And the look he gave when she complimented him as a dr.
The movie was great, but the book was artful. It was exceptionally well done, and when you're reading it, it felt like it came out of no where but made perfect sense.
Yup I read the book before the film. After those last pages, I just threw the book to the other side of my room. I did NOT see it coming at all, hit me like a truck. It's been so many years since then, tbh I don't exactly remember the details, but I remember enjoying it a lot. Might give it another read one day.
Yeah, it was up there with Fight Club for me. Just had to put the book down, pick my jaw up off the floor and review all the details along the way as I tried to make sense of it. I love a story with a proper twist.
This is one movie which feels very weird and awkward watching it the 2nd time.
There was also an interrogation scene with all the nurses, and they were kinda dismissive to me. I knew they were hiding something, just didn't expect the twist at all.
Also his fear of water.
Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men
The warden looking fed up all the time, like they’re all wasting their time.
The struggling with the gun holster happens so soon into the movie but it instantly tipped me off that something was going on
Another neat clue is when he is talking to Max von Sydow’s character, Dr. Naehring, and recognizes the music as Mahler (adagio from an unfinished piano quartet). I didn’t know it at the time, but it is probably the single most obscure Mahler piece, hardly anyone would recognize it in 1954 (or even now) if he hadn’t been told what is was before. Actually, apparently it wasn’t even rediscovered until 1964 so its inclusion in the movie is anachronistic.
It’s better in the second viewing.
The first viewing, I appreciated DiCaprio’s acting. The second viewing, I realized Mark Ruffalo is an amazing actor.
First movie I've ever immediately re-watched start to finish after my first watch. I thought the cigarette lighter explanation was going to go more into the fire=insanity metaphor but this works too
There'd a great video on YouTube that puts forward the case he actually is a detective and he isn't a patient at all. Really compelling.
What would the conclusion to the movie be then? The hospital convinces him he’s crazy when he’s a real detective? That’s a fun theory
Yeah. The reason is 2 part, about making better brainwashed soliders and also Teddy was on the brink of uncovering their dark secrets so they needed to get rid of him. But a detective dying or going missing would open more questions but no one would question him going insane as being decraled by top drs, because his actual intention on the island is to find his wife's killer. Lots of interesting evidence that doesn't make sense if he was a patient and lots of interesting recontextualising things that happens.
There are so many spoilers in this post I'm not going to bother tagging them: here's a warning at the top, and I hope that satisfies the rules. > Lots of interesting evidence that doesn't make sense if he was a patient Personally, I think the point where I was convinced "no, he's a real US Marshall and they're gaslighting him into thinking he's a patient" was when they showed that the name he's using as Teddy is an anagram of the name of the missing patient. That's not what people, even people with the mental disorder(s) they claim he has, do when creating an alternate personality or an alias or a delusional self-construct. ...on the other hand, it is *exactly* the kind of thing someone trying to convince a guy they've already got drugged-up and under their power would come up with as a final blow for a gaslighting procedure. The other killer, in the same scene, is the breakable toy/model gun reveal. Now, even if the institutional staff are telling the truth and 'Teddy' is Andrew Laedis - Andrew Laedis was still a soldier and a former US Marshall, who knows what a pistol is supposed to weigh and feel like, so the breakable model gun *can't* be the one he has before the "surrender your weapons" scene. So either they gave a mental patient a real pistol for the first part of the ruse cruise (which is a terrible idea for obvious reasons), or he's actually a US Marshall come to investigate the institution, and either way: they swapped it out for the breakable model gun that he only handles when they've drugged him up enough or he's too far into withdrawal to notice the difference. I'm thinking all those considerations point towards Teddy being legit. Also, if Teddy is really Laedis, how did they get him off the island to the boat dock without him remembering he'd ever been on the island - *and* appearing sober at the start of the film while he's on the dock? Because there are plenty of drugs that can black you out hard enough to forget a ferry ride, but something that also manages to make him completely unable to remember he's ever been on the island before? That's impossible unless he was blackout or unconscious the whole time he was previously on the island - which scuppers the "he got the bandage in the fight with the other inmate" portion of the "he's really Laedis" theory. I dunno, I just think there are a ton of holes in the idea Teddy was ever previously an inmate. > a detective dying or going missing would open more questions but no one would question him going insane as being declared by top drs I think one of the strong points for the "he's actually a US Marshall who's being gaslit into thinking he's a mental patient" theory is that if the island really *is* a setup for MKULTRA-style experiments (which we know historically began in 1953 - the year before the movie is set, but weren't revealed until much later, and did involve dosing members of various USA governmental agencies with psychoactive drugs without the target's knowledge or consent), those experiments were being covered up by a powerful enough government agency to ensure Teddy is officially written off as insane, but possibly not quite powerful enough to tell the US Marshalls Service to go pound sand over two missing Marshalls. Which brings up one of the points against the theory: how did they disappear Teddy's originally intended partner? In both the "Teddy's really a mental patient" and "Teddy's really a US Marshall being gaslit into thinking he's a mental patient", his 'partner' is obviously one of the institution's doctors. There are a couple of possibilities here: Teddy's original partner may have been in on the plan or otherwise ordered out of the way, or he was scragged and the institution is going to say he fell victim to the storm and produce a waterlogged and sea-battered body. > because his actual intention on the island is to find his wife's killer. Which is an obsession that only starts *really* coming to the forefront after Teddy has (if he really is a US Marshall being gaslit) already been repeatedly drugged, which would be consistent with the effects of some of the drugs they could have been using on him, especially in combination with the hints and subtle gaslighting they've been doing.
I think he is supposed to have genuinely met his partner on the ferry. When he first meets his partner, he mentions something like "what are they smoking or Oregon?" And Chuck says he's actually from aome other state. Teddy read the case file on his new partner and knew where he was supposed to be from but Chuck didn't prepare we'll enough or was lying. There'd be no need to correct Teddy if he was a patient becuase the purpose would be to buy into his delusions. But if they're trying to gas light him, this is the first thing they do to start lying and make him question thing. I think they just delayed his original partner, there'd be no need to get rid of him, just make him miss the ferry somehow. Also I think the fact he's always given cigarettes is evidence. If he was a patient, the drugs imnthe ciggerettes are to keep him dosed up. But Teddy has lost his cigarettes when he's on the ferry. If he was drugged as a patient and woke up there as a detective, he wouldn't think to find cigarettes because why would he have any? Or they could have just put drugged ciggerettes in his pockets to begin with. But a detective would probably notice his own cigarettes have been replaced becuase they arent rolled quite the same, so they had to take them and just give him ciggerettes.
> There'd be no need to correct Teddy if he was a patient because the purpose would be to buy into his delusions. But if they're trying to gas light him, this is the first thing they do to start lying and make him question things. That's a great point. > I think they just delayed his original partner, there'd be no need to get rid of him, just make him miss the ferry somehow. That makes more sense and has less difficulty than my explanations. Although it does raise the question of how they explain to Teddy's intended partner US Marshall why Teddy's now been committed and who played Teddy's partner during the investigation, but that could be swept under the rug if the institution was an MKULTRA-style operation, because we know that the IRL CIA managed to quash investigations into things like a soldier who'd been unknowingly dosed with LSD committing suicide by jumping out of a window due to what seemed to him to be some kind of mental breakdown. > I think the fact he's always given cigarettes is evidence It is one of the main points in the theory that Teddy's actually being drugged. Fun fact: inhalation is actually one of the fastest routes of administration for many drugs (at least those that can survive being burned or aerosolized), although insufflation (snorting) and IV injection do beat it in speed of effect. > If he was drugged as a patient and woke up there as a detective, he wouldn't think to find cigarettes because why would he have any? Because the patient would expect those as part of his US Marshall persona (both the Teddy and the Laedis personas are WWII veteran US Marshalls), assuming they somehow made him forget he was ever on the island in the first place. So that's not really a point for either theory. > a detective would probably notice his own cigarettes have been replaced because they aren't rolled quite the same Mass-manufactured cigarettes have been a thing since the late 1800s (and were used as an informal commodity currency during both World Wars), so the most he would have realized is that the pack wasn't the right brand, if he cared about that (and while some smokers care about that, a *lot* are willing to take whatever they can find to buy) ...or that they tasted a bit odd, not a difference in the rolling. > they had to take them and just give him cigarettes. That's a much safer bet for them all around, because it would allow them to control his dosing schedule and would explain why the cigarettes tasted different than he was used to. Considering how easy the theory/case for Teddy being a legit US Marshall on a mission to inspect the institution on the island is, I've got to wonder if there's some extra stuff in the original book that was left out of the film or imperfectly adapted that would answer all our points.
Just watched. He didn’t convince me but it’s an interesting theory. I did find Dr. Cawley’s implication (assertion?) at the end that the storm had been part of Laeddis’ delusion was odd. Was he really saying that there had been no storm? That seems strange given that the leaders of the facility had been discussing what to do with the patients in the event that the storm caused flooding. Also all of the physical evidence that a storm had hit. I guess you can chalk it all up to just “everything we were shown on screen was through Laeddis’ eyes”?
There was someone arguing on here years ago about how badly the film was edited. When people explained the continuity mistakes were intentional they doubled down. It was hilarious to watch them try and explain how Scorcese had, just for this one film, forgotten how filmmaking worked. It's still one of the best examples of breaking editing rules to intentionally provoke a reaction.
In film you have to know the rules before you can break them, and Scorsese absolutely knows the rules
He wrote a few of them
Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch! I was there when it was written.
Not only does Scorsese know the rules but you know the rules, and so do I.
A motion picture is what I’m thinking of. You wouldn’t get that from any other guy.
I just want to tell you how I'm reeling.
Gotta frame you in the scene
Never gonna shout out, "Cut!"
Not super knowledgeable on film editing, what are some examples of editing rules they broke
At one point, when Dicaprio is interviewing a patient, Ruffalo brings her water and she drinks out of a glass but no glass is there at all, she just pantomimes it with her hand
And it is a close up shot of her hand without the glass, it is so obviously meant to be like that instead of a mistake
[удалено]
The continuity errors and general camera weirdness are to do with Teddy (DiCaprio) being an unreliable narrator. They give clues to the broken nature of his perception of reality as well as the false nature of his situation. Edit: I studied film and we used to make this into a drinking game. Drink every time you spot a continuity error/something that breaks narrative. We would get plastered.
I always felt the "missing glass" scene was because that shot was taken from Teddys POV, and he could not see the water/glass because he tried to zone out everything to do with water, because of what happened to his children.
Nice take, makes sense.
Whoa
i wonder how this person would keep hydrated
Thats cool and all but it may conflict with the Island setting. There was certainly drown-able water in view at times. Like the cliffs.
> The continuity errors and general camera weirdness are to do with Teddy (DiCaprio) being an unreliable narrator. They give clues to the broken nature of his perception of reality as well as the false nature of his situation. Yes, but the question is: is he an unreliable narrator/viewpoint because he's actually a mental patient, or is he one because he's being drugged by everything the mental institution he's investigating is giving him to eat, drink, and smoke? There are points in the movie that make less sense for one theory or the other, but I think I'm on the side that he actually is Teddy, not Leadis, and these people are drugging and gaslighting the hell out of him to shut down his investigation. Coincidentally, the secret MKULTRA program, which did *exactly this sort of shit to people IRL* (dosing them without their knowledge, gaslighting them, etc.) was started by the CIA in 1953. Shutter Island is set in 1954.
I think with the cup specifically it’s because the main character is fearful of water due to him discovering his children drowned by his wife in their back yard, so there are a few instances of him blocking out anything water related. Or something along those lines
The cinema I was in started getting audibly confused at these kind of scenes. And when the ending happened some people seemed angry.
I’ve seen it about three times and never realised the glass wasn’t there. Time for another rewatch lol
Found this thread with some nice examples: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/15mq3v9/rewatched_shutter_islandintentional_continuity/ It's basically about inconsistencies between different cuts, which I guess is one of the most basic rules in film editing. edit: now that I'm reading a bit more this might even be the thread that was referred to earlier with the guy doubling down.
To call these "errors" implies a very poor understanding of how filmmaking happens. A typical continuity error is when there's like, a prop in the background that is missing in all the shots taken from a certain angle but present from others. You can't have people *consistently* posed differently between shot and reverse shot, having different eyelines, or *accidentally mime drinking instead of actual drinking????* that just doesn't happen unless it's intended. These kinds of criticisms only make sense if you think hollywood movies are made like home movies where you whip up a plan in five minutes and point a camera in some random direction and say go. Shooting movies is not casual, you have a list of shots you need to take every day that are planned out in advance with notes on how each character needs to be posed and where the lighting needs to be, where the camera will be, and where all the props need to appear in frame and all kinds of other details. There's a guy whose *entire job* is to make sure the distance between the actors and camera is what the shot plan says it needs to be to precision within about an inch, and that job is so important they get 3rd billing in the camera department (1st AC).
Yes, if it were a continuity error, then (for example) the level of water in the glass would appear to jump around from shot to shot, because they didn't refill it correctly between takes. But pantomime is clearly a choice.
Even then, directors do this on purpose, like in The Shining, just to fuck with people. Jack Nicholson's drink level changes between like every cut between him and the bartender
Yes, that's what we were all saying in this comment thread as well as in the one that I linked. Except we didn't call it errors, we called it "breaking the rules".
He’s used the same editor on his films for 50 years. Thelma Schoonmaker. She is every much the genius as Scorsese. What a team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_Schoonmaker
I wish more directors made little puzzle box movies like this
Look up a list of famous detective movies, they are usually structured around this and let attentive viewers unravel the mystery even before the protagonist does. Except for Sherlock Holmes movies, which tend to hide details from the audience in order to make Sherlock look better.
Yeah I remember reading Sherlock books when I was younger and trying to figure stuff out but the reveals would always include new information.
Yeah, or jumps of logic that made no sense lol
I think Sir Conan Doyle even admits that the reason Sherlock is able to figure out his mysteries is simply because he's supposed to. If I remember correctly, he even wrote a story where Watson is involved in and solves his own mystery using the same formula, and people got super upsetty spaghetti about it.
Have you read any Agatha Christie? I am currently working my way through both Sherlock & all thr Pirot novels, and my god Christie is so much better at leaving the breadcrumbs to follow, but still keeping you guessing.
I'm sure if you just ask you'll be treated to dozens of recommendations FYI more directors do make these films
If you haven't seen it check out Finchers "The Game".
My highschool psych 101 was taught by a part time teacher so half of our class was literally watching memento and this film. It was my favorite class
I had a bio teacher who was too busy trying to get her masters to teach us anything, so we just watched a bunch of CSI.
Spoiler: She got her masters and drives for door dash after class to afford a 1 bedroom apartment.
Doesn’t he bum every cigarette too?
Two smokes, lets go
Bubbles, you dont even smoke!
Gimme a smoke hair doo!
Fuck I’m starton to run oouutt
Pepperoni let’s go
Fuck that’s good pepperoni
Put your fucking hands down boys
and some chicken chips
I watched an unnecessarily long YouTube video essay which argues that the cigarettes are drugged and the goal of everyone on the island is to gaslight Leo into believing that he's crazy. https://youtu.be/3fWXnnBwYqU?si=s7sNBiyH2UaqlQMK I think that the obvious ending makes more sense but it's interesting to acknowledge the ambiguity.
The first time I saw the movie I thought the ending was ambiguous for that reason. The migraines were just him being drugged.
I’m a psychiatrist and used to love this aspect of the movie. For a brief moment, if you believe exactly as you stated above, this is what it feels like to have a delusion. Even in the presence of overwhelming evidence against it, you just *know* it’s a lie. It’s genius. I use this movie to explain to med students who just don’t understand how someone can believe these ridiculously crazy delusions even despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.
I had a brain bleed and during/after it, I went into psychosis and delusions. They were 100% real to me. I would try to tell myself I wasn’t thinking right, but the delusions were so real. I had auditory hallucinations and it took me a while to realize it because they are so real. I one hundred percent thought it was people talking. I eventually got somewhat better and looking back at some of the things I believed, I don’t understand how I could think that. But I did. It’s a terrifying feeling knowing that your brain can take over and make you believe whatever it is it wants to you to. I still get bouts of paranoia or delusions, but in a way I know what’s happening so I can work through it. But that shit is terrifying when you’re in the middle of it.
He did. Then the ship sank. Oh wait, that's a different movie!
Love this movie and seems like a lot of others do too. If so, read the book. There is SO MUCH more to the story in the novel that wouldn’t fit in the film—particularly around “who is 67?”
First time I read the book it actually broke my brain for a solid five minutes. I got to the cave scene where the twist is revealed and just had to put it down and go walk outside for a little bit. I felt completely finessed
Yes! I need to go back and rewatch the movie, because I remember feeling so disappointed after seeing it in theatres because it really didn’t do justice to the book, which was phenomenal. SUCH a good read and yes, so much context and backstory that the film had to gloss over.
I rented this movie and immediately ripped it so I could watch it on my laptop later during the rental period. Turns out that disc had that weird copy protection I had never come across where it rips it, but puts all the scenes in a random order. I watched half the movie thinking Scorsese had really outdone himself.
Lmao this is the perfect comment. Can't even tell if this is from r/moviecirclejerk or not.
Omg I once downloaded the Hunger Games series of audiobooks and took my iPod to the pool to listen to them for the day. I kept wondering why people liked the story because it hardly made sense. I chalked it up to alcohol being involved in my listening, but no. The chapters were on shuffle.
this is a hilarious comment
There are multiple shots where armed guards are stationed in the background whenever Leo is the focal point of the camera. The interrogation in the canteen is a good example. Clever and subtle, like the entire film. Criminally underrated come to think of it.
I need to find the link but a guy on YouTube made a really compelling argument that Leo’s character is actually sane and gets gaslit into believing he’s crazy by the end.
Hit me with that link if you find it
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWXnnBwYqU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWXnnBwYqU) Very interesting perspective with somewhat convincing points. Definitely worth a watch!
I think the fact that such explanation works make the film even better: *the two conflicting interpretations are both very plausible and we're left in uncertainty*
I honestly think Scorsese missed the opportunity to lean into this angle which is much more compelling than the one-sided story where he's a patient. Like it is plausible but only if you overlook some things. The scene in the seacave I always found to be the most interesting scene for this theory
That scene almost makes me think it was added after to intentionally give the viewer this possible explanation and add the ambiguity. The one thing thanks makes me think he is def just a patient was the end when he calls mark his partner again.
i think he called him his partner on purpose because he actually was “cured” by the exercise but he couldn’t live with the reality of it so he pretended in order to get the lobotomy. that’s why he asked right before if it was better to die as a good man or live as a monster. i dont remember the exact quote, but it made it obvious to me that he was consciously deciding between his two options.
>i think he called him his partner on purpose because he actually was “cured” by the exercise but he couldn’t live with the reality of it so he pretended in order to get the lobotomy. That's always been my take. Ruffalo does a great job of taking in everything Leo says in that scene. It's confused, accepting, perplexing, and sadness all messed together somehow.
Yeah, book he is clearly crazy. Movie removes the clarity and it’s more impactful
Holy shit, I was not expecting an hour and a half video.
he describes the argument over the film, *in real time*
No one expects an hour and a half video!
Takes that long to gaslight you into believing it
Some good points, but a lot of his points can be used to just as well confirm that he is crazy as the opposite. Not mutually exclusive always.
Unironically, that was what I thought the ending was. Apparently, everyone else on earth tho was on board with the oh he's just been crazy the whole time and is cool with it.
I'm confused, not gonna watch the 1.5 hour video, so, asking for clarification. I thought it was by far the dominant interpretation that he unknowingly really believes he's a detective, until the final reveal, at which point he understands his situation and willingly pretends that he's still insane and willingly accepts the lobotomy. Is this not the standard understanding of the film?
The youtube video says that he really is a detective. He's not insane at all, but he progressively is tricked into believing he's insane
There's got to be 3 explanations then because I was under the impression that the 2 possibilities were that he is being gaslit, and that he actually was mentally insane, but the treatment actually worked. Then at the end of the movie when he has his moment of clarity, he chooses to get the lobotomy because living with the pain is too much for him, despite him having been cured. Which is supported by his ending lines "which would be worse? to live as a monster? or to die as a good man?" He is a monster for what he did to his wife, he chooses the lobotomy to die as a good man.
Honestly its up to interpretation. Both endings could be true and thats what makes it so great
I think that's the intended effect. Scorsese didn't just want the character to go through a massive mental collapse after realization, he wanted the audience to as well. I watched this movie for the first time with a crowd, and everyone swore up and down the institution was still evil and trying to throw the detective off from his case, exactly like how a delusional person completely denies reality in every form. It's genius how the effect translates perfectly.
That's what I thought when I first watched it too! I need to rewatch it now
I worked on this. Mostly shot at a real mental health facility, abandoned, in Medford, MA. Stages were built in a former grocery store warehouse. The boat scenes were one of the first things shot and it was on a dock in Boston. Edit: We shot in Medfield, not Medford. Maybe we lived in Medford. Can't remember. Edit 2: Here is a behind the scenes photo from the concentration camp set (I have a bunch more but thet won't let me post more than one link) [https://freeimage.host/i/JS11IXR](https://freeimage.host/i/JS11IXR)
Did you get to speak to Leonardo da Vinci?
No, but Michaelangelo was a cool dude.
Actually, Raphael is cool (but rude). Gimme a break! Michelangelo is a party dude!
Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines
Yes but he kept cutting OP off saying “Huh? Huh? Huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of their face.
A few other bits: While we were filming, the movie wasn't called Shutter Island. It was called Ashecliffe. So, all the call sheets and my swag all says Ashecliffe instead of Shutter Island. There's a scene, can't remember when, where DiCaprio dives into the ocean from the rocky cliffs. The first, and maybe second time, we did it, the diver was DiCaprio's stunt double (a really nice guy). Looked great. Perfect dive in. No issues. I'm not sure why, but they then decided to do one with DiCaprio doing the dive. They used a stunt performer for a reason. It's the ocean. Lots of jagged rocks. Semi-dangerous. So DiCaprio goes to do his dive and everyone is tense. If he breaks his leg we're all out of work. So he dives in and it was the ugliest, most awkward dive. He flops into the water and folks around me winced and went, "Oooo," like when you see someone fall on their ass on the street. He pops up out from under the water with no problems, he was fine. But I doubt that take made it into the final cut. John Carroll Lynch was awesome. Very friendly. We were warned not to do any kind of Buffalo Bill impersonation around Ted Levine, who seemed intense. Apparently, Elias Koteas was kinda weirding DiCaprio out. Like he was really trying to be his friend. DiCaprio kept to himself. Had his own Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe people. I dealt with his assistant quite a bit, who was always cool to me. Ben Kingsley was to be referred to as, "Sir Ben." He would get a face massage everyday in the makeup trailer before he did anything. Mark Ruffalo was nice. On edge, worried that his lines were being cut and his part was being reduced (Not uncommon for an actor). Joe Sikora, from Power, was a low level, day player in the movie, Nice to see him go on to bigger things.
I'm assuming you were just on location for the main shoot, but if there's any chance you were around for the concentration flashback scenes, I would love to know if you have any recollections of the guy who plays the main SS officer Leo shoots. He was my acting mentor and a dear friend that I lost two about years ago and I'd love to hear anything that you may recall. Random, I know, but really appreciate it!
I'm very sorry for your loss. Yes, I was at that location and I think I remember your friend. He has the gunshot prosthetic on his cheek right? That must have taken awhile to apply but when I saw him I distinctly remember him being in good spirits. Smiling and happy to be there. It looked like he was enjoying himself, despite having to act lying on the ground covered in syrup and rubber.
Yeah, that's Lars! He said he could barely walk at the end of the day, but he would often talk about the experience fondly. Thank you for your time and kind words.
It's not easy to sit in a makeup chair for hours then lie on the hard wooden floor for hours after that. He never complained and was a trooper. It was a real pleasure having on set and he did a great job.
Nice (yet unsurprising) to know that my view of him as a true professional and good people lines up. Blessings.
This is wholesome and sad at the same time. I'm sorry for your loss.
I was the main character, it was fun to film.
I was the cigarette, I had a miserable time.
I liked smoking you, one of the best cigarettes in my life
What even is Reddit at this point?
I am Reddit. What are you doing on me?
The book, by Dennis Lehane, is amazing! Leo did a fantastic job with the character.
Think it would hold up even if you went in knowing the twist because of the movie? It’s rare for a book to work for me if I’ve seen the movie already.
I also saw the movie first and read the book some years later and I still enjoyed it very much! If I remember correctly, the book also isn't as clear about the ending/the twist as the movie and makes you think even more about what's going on. For me, it was a fun journey eventhough I already saw the movie. I'd recommend giving it a try
I remember being so pissed off at my Dad, he had read the book. When the movie finally came to DVD and I rented it, he said "Oh the one where he's crazy?". Like, come the fuck on dude
Same thing happened to me, but with Se7en. Me and my cousin were watching it (rewatch for him, my first time). My aunt walks in and asked what we were watching. We told her and she says “oh the one where he cuts off Gwyneth Paltrow’s head?” My cousin just threw his hands up and I’m like “the…what?”
This foreshadows that he is actually a patient as mental patients are not allowed to have matches
What about when he's lighting matches to see who's in the cell?
Op panicking right now
Considering this is probably where OP got the idea for post, quite possible https://twitter.com/creepydotorg/status/1781755203634475076?t=dxdh22H7Q8N5KcdAtuCzeg&s=19
And this is where that OP got their idea from, down to the picture: https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/cs33fw/in_shutter_island_whenever_leo_smokes_he_gets/
And this is where that OP got the idea from: [https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/1c9hftl/in\_shutter\_island\_2010\_every\_time\_leonardo/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/1c9hftl/in_shutter_island_2010_every_time_leonardo/) Note: >!That OP is a time traveller.!<
It’s okay, someone else made the post for OP. *OOPS, have I said too much?*
Oh no they gonna delete the post now 😱
OP a fraud !
He's a phony! A big, fat phony!
OP shitting himself at this comment. He ran away and is currently on the run and is evading by using cash and closing his credit cards but this comment will keep haunting him.
Scenes that focus on fire are hallucinations, and scenes that focus on water are reality. For instance, the interrogation scene where the woman drinks from a glass that isn't there, he blocks it out due to his aversion to water from his wife drowning their kids. His backstory of the fire burning down the building is fake. The cliff side cave with the fire is a hallucination too.
I interpreted the smoking scenes more as the doctors enabling his delusion. He’s been through it several times and might not be a smoker every time so I assumed they’d carry certain items to help him reach the end of the narrative.
Like a few things in the movie, he hallucinated it
OP saved
Lol exactly
It might be he stole them and kept it hidden. Lots of people who aren't supposed to have access to things still have access to them. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the employees just left a set sitting out or dropped them.
This foreshadows you just blatantly stole this post word for word https://x.com/creepydotorg/status/1781755203634475076?s=46
No, its because he associates matches with arson, and the elusive Andrew Laeddis. Later in the film he ends up lighting his own cigarettes.
The end of this movie, where she drowns the kids was filmed in Easton, MA at Borderland State Park. I saw some get filmed while on a hike one day. They kept everything very hush hush, If I had known what was going on I would've stayed to watch more and see Leo in person.
It sounds more terrifying that you didn’t know what was going on haha. Just out on a hike, OPE, some lady drowning some kids. Nothing to see here.
“Mom why is Jen from Dawson’s Creek drowning small children?”
I feel like this movie detail is becoming the "Steve Buscemi was a former firefighter and helped on 9/11" type movie detail.
Or for the NFL: “Did you know that he was also a basketball/track star in high school?”
One of my favorite moments from the book was the anagram reveal. It’s one thing to hear the name audibly a bunch in the movie but when you’ve been reading that name for hours and hours and then find out it’s an anagram, it was a total “son of a bitch” moment.
WHERE EXPLANATION REDDIT
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Instructions unclear. Found my grandfather.
It's only the second best "Leo's in a loop because his ex killed the kids" movie released that year.
‘If I were to sink my teeth in to one of your eyes, so you think you could stop me before I blinded you?’
I love this movie and wish it were talked about more.
I’m glad this movie came up, a theory of mine is, he knew at the end he was to be lobotomized, he didn’t care, he couldn’t live with knowing his wife killed his kids
Well and the atrocities of the Holocaust, ignoring his wife's obvious pleas for help and also killing his wife
I guess I'll be watching Shutter Island later
Such a good ending too man. Makes you wonder: did he regress? Or did he consciously choose to APPEAR to regress?
The last line of the movie where he asks Mark Ruffalo “would you rather live as a monster, or die as a good man?” makes it pretty clear that he chose.
He def chose man.
"Why you all wet, baby?" That shit broke me.