Shutter Island

The film Shutter Island, by Martin Scorsese made me an abundance of different emotions throughout the film. It was a fantastic film and I really wasn’t sure where the film was going until the perfect twist on it at the end. I think Martin Scorsese’s draw on the history of WWII  was depicted better and more accurate than it was in Inglourious Basterds. WWII was not depicted as much in this film as it was in Inglourious Basterds but I do think it was depicted more accurately. The relationship between memory and present was a big theme in this film. Andrew Laediss’ PTSD and mental illness had a big impact on him when he was in the asylum. He could not separate his memory from his past with his present life and actions. He was stuck living in his memory of being a Marshall and trying to be the hero in the present, not realizing the monstrous memory that was living within him. We still do not truly know the truth about Ashecliffe and the doctors that work there. The image that is shown throughout the whole film is that “Teddy” is in charge and trying to figure out the mystery of Ashecliffe and the doctors that work there, as well as avenging his wife’s death. Meanwhile, the truth is that Dr. Cawley and Dr. Sheehan are the ones trying to solve the mystery of Andrew Laediss’ mystery of his trauma, and how it can be cured. I’m not really sure how to interpret the end of the film. While Andrew and Dr. Sheehan are sitting on the stairs in the last scene of the film, it shows that Andrew’s progression fails again and believes he is “Teddy”, but then why does he voluntarily go with the doctors to the lighthouse? Andrew’s final line in the film is “Which one be worse: To live as a monster, or to die as a good man?” Ultimately, surrendering himself to the doctor’s for a lobotomy… So was he unconscious or not? I’m still not exactly sure how to interpret that last line during the final scene of the film. Martin Scorsese left an open door for the audience to decide this one on their own. Was it the truth of Andrew Laediss or the mystery of Teddy Daniels at the end of the film?