Perspectives | Lecture 8 - 5 Ways 'The Truman Show' is Postmodern

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Hyperreality -
Truman has spent his entire life in a constructed reality, which he firmly believes is real, disregarding all signs that the space around him isn't real, until a certain point. The end of the film, when Truman ascends the stairs and walks through the door, could be considered to be Truman leaving behind this hyperreal space and transitioning into what could be considered the 'real world'.

Simulacra -
The world in which Truman lives is a simulation of the 'real world', however it has its limits. These limits are what cause Truman to try and leave in the first place as all of his experiences were on a rotation, and he could never stray too far away from his home, nor could he speak to those who were not part of the main narrative of Truman's story.


The 4th Wall -
The fourth wall is broken a number of times during 'The Truman Show' as the viewer is made to feel just like the audience members within the film. One seen in particular that breaks the fourth wall is the moment before Truman steps through the doorway at the end of the film, and says "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight" right into the camera, then he turns and the screen fades to black.

Parody -
The town in which Truman lives is an exaggerated parody of suburban America, and so are the people, including Truman himself.

Metanarrative -
While Truman has his own life and all of the actors around him have to play to his narrative, there is an overarching story of a TV show, which everything is based around. Even if Truman wanted to do something, if it won't make for good TV or fit into the creator's story, then it won't happen just so everything fits to the metanarrative.

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