Human beings are strange beings in many ways. We come to this world very early, with nothing but the biological information inherited from millions of years of life adventure. As soon as we are separated from our mother, while our brain is just beginning to develop, we find ourselves in the world of "me and others". The laws of physics, the possibilities of our body, cultural codes, beliefs, fears and everything else, with our surroundings We learn simultaneously during the relationship. Learning may be the wrong term; The truth might be "we suck it all in" because our minds in the first months are just like dry sponges in a vast information pool. As a creature that will have to deal with many complex problems in adulthood, everything we need about the world, even more than necessary, is burdened on us in those first months and years. We are given many answers to big questions, from how to use a fork and spoon to the meaning of life and what a human being is. The framework of our lives is formed by the codes loaded in those first years, and the majority of us can spend our entire lives in that structured mental bowl.
But as the lucky ones grow up, they begin to realize that things may not be as they were told. Their stories, memorizations of the world, beliefs and basic judgments begin to change. Some people take this as their "main project", so to speak, and their problem can become a matter of "improving themselves". These people focus on experiences that push their limits, and even if they don't always succeed, they always have "cross-border" operations in the back of their minds. At least they live with this longing every moment.
I was working on such thoughts deeply when I first watched the wonderful movie Truman Show, and I loved watching this great cinematic metaphor about the mental world of a person who "pushes his limits" many times. The hero of the movie, Truman Burbank, became the hero of all of us thanks to his fight against the fictional world that surrounded him. I don't remember how many times I've watched this movie over the years, I'm sure it's more than twenty. But as time went on, I began to realize that Truman wasn't the only character in Truman's show.
Truman's world was a fictional world, and since he lived in this "matrix" drawn around him since his birth, he thought everything was that. Even his desires and fears were carefully established in advance. He wanted to travel and exceed his limits, but he could not sail to the horizons due to his water phobia. We all identified with him from somewhere. What about others?
For example, Christof; namely the creator of The Truman Show. At first glance, he seems like a villain, but on the other hand, he has a deep, philosophical and poetic side. He has sincere affection for Truman. If we look closer, we will immediately notice that maybe Christof represents our parental side. What we do to our children through the worlds we claim to have built for them, how we turn their lives into hell without doing any good with the beliefs we memorize and the walls we build; We will immediately realize how our parents did the same thing to us, and that this cycle must be broken somewhere. On the other hand, we will understand that if it were not for Christof, no one would know Truman at all. Christof is a servant for Truman's development and, like everyone else, he plays his role in this world.
What about Marlon? The character played by Noah Emmerich, who is Truman's best friend. He is actually a person who is good at his job. He was Truman's companion throughout his life. On the other hand, he knows that all this is a trick and a game. His duty is to keep Truman on this path by befriending him. He does this as a job. Later we realize that he doesn't even care Truman at all. If we look a little closer, the Marlon side of ourselves is actually guiding us every time we allow our surreal beliefs to direct our lives, while defending rules that we do not follow ourselves, on topics we preach even though we do not believe in them. Marlon, who seems like a "murshid" or "companion", is actually the "crafty devil". That joyful, man-stunting side of us that fixes us in our dream world, keeps us determined in our comfort zone, scares us with our suspicions, sometimes knocks on our door with a six-pack of beer, sometimes with other relaxants, so that we don't improve. Can we see the Marlon in ourselves from time to time?
Then there is Simeon; The "tech guy" played by Paul Giamatti. Actually he's just doing his job. It's his job to keep The Truman Show on track. He probably doesn't approve of any of the work going on on that show. He is always disturbed, always with a guilty conscience. But for bringing home the bacon, Simeon is doing his job. While he is deceiving Truman with all kinds of tricks and there are storms raging around him, he may feel guilty and tormented inside, but that's his job; The system is like this, no matter what it does, it has to continue. Simeon is the part of us that "worships the system". It is a successful representation of millions of real derivatives stuck between their conscience and wallet, who could change the world with an objection but are unable to do so. If he is there, the show goes on and the whole world says "the show must go on!".
So what about Meryl? Maybe we got annoyed with him the most, right? The love of Truman's life, his wife, his companion... But we soon realize that this woman is Truman's main shackle, the end of the stake thrown into his life. Meryl plays her part no matter what. Maybe he makes a lot of sacrifices; but just for show. He doesn't even care about Truman. All his sacrifice is so that “the show can go on”. For some reason it reminds me of our "accompaniment" memorizations. What we endure in the name of the "show" of marriage or union; Our countless hypocrisy that we engage in so that our simulation can continue, and our alienation even from ourselves over time. Meryl is not a stranger either, she is one of us, she is also a part of this show.
We also had our main girl: Lauren. Lauren is a beauty who disrupts things, puts the game in danger, steals Truman's heart and then disappears. An embodiment of Truman's secret and true desires. Truman may think he is in love with her, but what he sees in Lauren is a sincerity and simplicity that is unlike anywhere else in his world. Lauren represents the outside of that simulation and reminds Truman that "he doesn't belong here, other worlds are possible." It's an "accident" just like the studio light falling from the sky. But when we know how to read, such accidents lead to the birth of a new self in all of us. So, Lauren is actually his most important guide, perhaps his "mentor" in reaching perfection. What he feels for her is "metaphorical love"; In other words, it is not actually a hope for him, but a hope for the freedom he represents. A gift that will set him free as he pursues it.
These are the cornerstones of the story. Also think about other minor characters. For example, his old twins who go out of his way every morning just to distract him for a little while. They are the other “fillers” of that world. They are examples that, when we think about it, we can all find ourselves in that role from time to time. We also often distract others for no reason (actually only for our internal agendas). Whether it is our child, our student, our employee, or a friend in conversation, when we play the role memorized by us without questioning, we create successful delays in their journey, steal from their lives with empty and free conversations, and contribute to the functioning of that huge illusion. Others often perform the same duty towards us. Just as no snowflake feels responsible for an avalanche, we often do not see our role in perpetuating this lie.
Finally, there is an unnamed but very important main cast in the movie. This is not one person, it consists of many, thousands, maybe millions of people. These are people in the real world of the movie, not in the show. They are the "audiences", the real guards of Truman's prison, who have watched this mind-blowing story of Truman for years in cafes, bars, restaurants, homes, workplaces, bathtubs and wherever there is a screen, making the continuation of that show possible. They are all just having fun with this show. They make the "ratings" of the show skyrocket. Truman's life is imprisoned on a narrow island as an entertainment to keep these eyes so loosely attached that they would immediately lose interest if the show was interrupted, even for a short time. Those crowds legitimize that demonstration, they create it, they maintain it. They are the main determinant of that show, even the decisions made by Christof. Those crowds, if there is an evil in this story, they are the real perpetrators of that evil. But unfortunately, they are very crowded and none of them are directly responsible for this... In my opinion, it is the characters and this zombie-like audience that makes the Truman Show movie so scary.
In summary, the Truman Show, like many successful literary works, is actually a slap in the mouth. But we do not take this slap seriously. We always see ourselves as "the main boy who should be at the center of the world, who has been deceived and who will one day be lucky and get rid of that deception." However, in fact, it is almost always we are the others.
This is a movie, after all; Perhaps its main function is to make us forget our own role...