Movie Review #1: Shutter Island

If a certifiable artistic genius does something "wrong" and makes "mistakes" can one be certain that they are actual mistakes? What if Mozart was playing a concerto and started playing in the wrong key? Would we, who do not share his genius, truly be able to tell, in that moment, if it was a mistake or merely genius beyond our understanding? If you do not believe, as I do, that Martin Scorsese truly is a genius in the art of film then you might be less than patient with some of the "mistakes" you'll find as you begin to watch his latest film, Shutter Island. The music is too loud, almost as if he's trying too hard to make you feel scared. This is a thriller after all. But, that is a rookie mistake. Isn't Scorsese better than that? There are some very awkward cuts, camera angles that don't seem to make sense, continuity errors. One might be tempted to think, as I did, that maybe Scorsese was off his game on this one. I am here to implore you to be patient. When you go see Shutter Island, and I recommend that you do, trust that Scorsese knows what he's doing. In the end you'll be rewarded.

With Shutter Island, Scorsese tells the story of Teddy Daniels, a federal marshal on assignment to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a remote mental institution for the criminally insane. As the title implies, the institution is on an island which lies off the coast of Boston. The story takes place in 1954. Teddy is a war veteran who was present at the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Very soon after the arrival of Teddy and his new partner, the simple story begins to unravel and we are led down a rabbit hole of ever unfolding intrigue. Nazi experiments, an unregistered patient, even clues to Teddy's own past. All of the events unfold masterfully and we, like Teddy begin to lose our grasp on what is and is not real.

When all is said and done, you will be able to look back and see that, for all its twists and turns, it is actually quite a simple story. The genius is in the telling of it. I recall hearing Scorsese musing about the importance of film once in an interview or an ad for something or other. Among other things he talked about how when we watch movies we might just learn something about ourselves. I get the sense that in this film, as I'm sure he does in all his films, Scorsese is trying to give us something to identify with, an avenue to go down and possibly learn something about ourselves. How do I deal with loss? How might I face the horrors of war, the atrocities of something like the holocaust, even my own evil acts? What if I just couldn't face it? Obviously, Scorsese can't tell me how I would answer those questions but instead shows how others might. Perhaps that is what is so powerful about telling stories, however we do it. Maybe in hearing others' stories we can better understand our own.