It takes place in 1954 on Shutter Island in Boston harbor. US marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels arrives at the Ashecliffe hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island with his newly assigned partner Chuck Aule to investigate disappearance of a patient. Throughout the film, viewer is perfectly fed with the details of story and has no suspicion of what will come next. The ending is unexpected and unbelievable. Somehow you want to believe in conspiracy rather than reality.
As soon as truth was out, my mind went back to the beginning of story and tried to analyze every little detail to find out whether marshal is sane in reality. Edward’s partner turned out to be his doctor –Dr. Sheehan and Andrew Laedis, who he searched for throughout the film and blamed in his wife - Dolores’ death, is actually Edward himself.
Doctors explain that Edward went through repeating cycles of realization of truth. Whole this investigation was part of an experimental therapy and another attempt to help him realize the truth. I believed Andrew when he protested violently to doctor’s explanations only to realize that doctors are right. This is where Leonardo must be praised since he excellently delivered the scene.
After explanations, Andrew accepts the reality and blames himself for ignoring his wife’s illness until she drowned their children. Though he finally accepts the truth, he pretends that he is still into conspiracy story for his doctor and calls him Chuck. After this, hospital workers approach him to take for lobotomy. He asks his doctor whether it would be worse to "live as a monster, or die as a good man" and goes calmly with workers.
I have to say, it is an interesting and catching film that leaves ambiguous feelings. Since not every film is able to do so, it is definitely one of a kind.
Reviewer's rating: 8.5 out of 10
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