Film and Religion - The Truman Show - Essay Example

The theological perspective effectively captured the narrative of man's interaction with his surroundings, the errors that could inevitably come with it, and his struggle to determine what is real and true and what he is going to do about it. A more contemporary text informed us with the same insights, The Truman Show. It is a film about a man who lived in a make-believe world where everyone was acting and everything is contrived. Again, knowledge and ignorance became the center of the struggle to find truth and resolve the dilemma of free will.

The Truman Show is actually closer in form to another religious/philosophical text, which is Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Here, fictitious prisoners were forced to live in a cavern and watch shadows of objects and people, which became reality for them. The Truman Show and the Allegory of the Cave both demonstrated man's capacity to perceive reality, to determine truth as well as in coping with each. In the end, they were able to depict an ability and persistence in human nature to seek truth and be free and they served as the ultimate purpose, not unlike the religious salvation theme. Read More