The Truman Show: An Imperfect Utopia?

In the film The Truman Show by director Peter Weir, the viewer is presented with a rural utopia. The star of this paradise is a life insurance salesman named Truman Burbank, portrayed by Jim Carrey. As we go through Truman's day we see how the world, literally, revolves around him and yet, we see that it is not a world at all, but a set. In fact, as the television narrator informs the viewer, it …

…imperfections are. These imperfections make us who we are and shape our experiences to be ready for the unexpected. Just as Weir uses camera angles, music, and lighting to convey this sense of imperfect perfection viewers' use their own past battles to deal with the present imperfections. This sense of relation between the viewer and the Truman character really are what draws them into the movie and what makes the film so interesting to watch.