shutter island movie review essay

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"Shutter Island" starts working on us with the first musical notes under the Paramount logo's mountain, even before the film starts. They're ominous and doomy. So is the film. This is Martin Scorsese's evocation of the delicious shuddering fear we feel when horror movies are about something and don't release all the tension with action scenes.

In its own way it's a haunted house movie, or make that a haunted castle or fortress. Shutter Island, we're told, is a remote and craggy island off Boston, where a Civil War-era fort has been adapted as a prison for the criminally insane. We approach it by boat through lowering skies, and the feeling is something like the approach to King Kong's island: Looming in gloom from the sea, it fills the visitor with dread. To this island travel U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) and his partner Chuck Aule ( Mark Ruffalo ).

It's 1954, and they are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a child murderer ( Emily Mortimer ). There seems to be no way to leave the island alive. The disappearance of one prisoner might not require the presence of two marshals unfamiliar with the situation, but we never ask that question. Not after the ominous walls of the prison arise. Not after the visitors are shown into the office of the prison medical director, Dr. Cawley, played by Ben Kingsley with that forbidding charm he has mastered.

It's clear that Teddy has no idea what he's getting himself into. Teddy -- such an innocuous name in such a gothic setting. Scorsese, working from a novel by Dennis Lehane , seems to be telling a simple enough story here; the woman is missing, and Teddy and Chuck will look for her. But the cold, gray walls clamp in on them, and the offices of Cawley and his colleagues, furnished for the Civil War commanding officers, seem borrowed from a tale by Edgar Allan Poe.

Scorsese the craftsman chips away at reality piece by piece. Flashbacks suggest Teddy's traumas in the decade since World War II. That war, its prologue and aftermath, supplied the dark undercurrent of classic film noir. The term "post-traumatic shock syndrome" was not then in use, but its symptoms could be seen in men attempting to look confident in their facades of unstyled suits, subdued ties, heavy smoking and fedoras pulled low against the rain. DiCaprio and Ruffalo both affect this look, but DiCaprio makes it seem more like a hopeful disguise.

The film's primary effect is on the senses. Everything is brought together into a disturbing foreshadow of dreadful secrets. How did this woman escape from a locked cell in a locked ward in the old fort, its walls thick enough to withstand cannon fire? Why do Cawley and his sinister colleague Dr. Naehring (Max Von Sydow, ready to play chess with Death) seem to be concealing something? Why is even such a pleasant person as the deputy warden not quite convincingly friendly? (He's played by John Carroll Lynch , Marge's husband in " Fargo ," so you can sense how nice he should be.) Why do the methods in the prison trigger flashbacks to Teddy's memories of helping to liberate a Nazi death camp?

These kinds of questions are at the heart of film noir. The hero is always flawed. Scorsese showed his actors the great 1947 noir " Out of the Past ," whose very title is a noir theme: Characters never arrive at a story without baggage. They have unsettled issues, buried traumas. So, yes, perhaps Teddy isn't simply a clean-cut G-man. But why are the others so strange? Kingsley in particular exudes menace every time he smiles.

There are thrilling visuals in "Shutter Island." Another film Scorsese showed his cast was Hitchcock's " Vertigo ," and we sense echoes of its hero's fear of heights. There's the possibility that the escaped woman might be lurking in a cave on a cliff, or hiding in a lighthouse. Both involve hazardous terrain to negotiate, above vertiginous falls to waves pounding on the rocks below. A possible hurricane is approaching. Light leaks out of the sky. The wind sounds mournful. It is, as they say, a dark and stormy night. And that's what the movie is about: atmosphere, ominous portents, the erosion of Teddy's confidence and even his identity. It's all done with flawless directorial command. Scorsese has fear to evoke, and he does it with many notes.

You may read reviews of "Shutter Island" complaining that the ending blindsides you. The uncertainty it causes prevents the film from feeling perfect on first viewing. I have a feeling it might improve on second. Some may believe it doesn't make sense. Or that, if it does, then the movie leading up to it doesn't. I asked myself: OK, then, how should it end? What would be more satisfactory? Why can't I be one of those critics who informs the director what he should have done instead?

Oh, I've had moments like that. Every moviegoer does. But not with "Shutter Island." This movie is all of a piece, even the parts that don't appear to fit. There is a human tendency to note carefully what goes before, and draw logical conclusions. But -- what if you can't nail down exactly what went before? What if there were things about Cawley and his peculiar staff that were hidden? What if the movie lacks a reliable narrator? What if its point of view isn't omniscient but fragmented? Where can it all lead? What does it mean? We ask, and Teddy asks, too.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Shutter Island (2010)

Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity

138 minutes

Ted Levine as Warden

Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels

Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule

Max von Sydow as Dr. Naehring

Michelle Williams as Dolores

Jackie Earle Haley as George

Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley

Based on the novel by

• Dennis Lehane
• Laeta Kalogridis

Directed by

• Martin Scorsese

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Shutter Island Movie Analysis

• Posted by - Birat Dahal
• On - April 20, 2020

When we talk about psychological thriller movies, Shutter Island is one name that usually pops up. It is an extremely complex thriller that must be watched a couple of times to fully understand. 

Shutter Island (2010)  is the fourth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio.  Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel of the same name, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was also one of the most successful movies of the year.

— Spoiler alert!   —

The movie begins with a ferry boat ride to Shutter Island, an island that holds a mental asylum for the criminally insane. Teddy, played by Leonardo Dicaprio believes he is a government Marshall looking for a missing patient named Rachel Solando, with the assistance of his accomplice Chuck. In reality, Ted is Andrew Laeddis, a war veteran, who was exposed to the most gruesome aspects of the already horrific war. In addition to that, he kills his wife who has murdered their three children. Whereas Chuck is Andrews’ therapist. 

Teddy and Chuck meet Dr. John Cawley, played by Ben Kingsley, lead psychiatrist of the facility, who explains a bit about the facility and psychiatry. Dr. Cawley says that there is a war going on in the island, with one faction who believes in surgical techniques like lobotomies to treat patients, where another side says that the new psychotropic drugs are the way to treat people.

Over the course of time Teddy begins to feel sick, which is accompanied by migraines and flashbacks from his experiences as a U.S. Army soldier and dreams of his deceased wife and kids.

Although the term PTSD (post-traumatic shock syndrome) isn’t used, Andrew played by DiCaprio shows numerous handsome symptoms. There are a series of dream sequences interspersed, flashbacks about Teddy’s time in WWII as a soldier, and Teddy often has internal conversations with himself in which his dead wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams), talks to him and gives him advice.

Andrew appears to have a fight between his conscious state, “Teddy”, and his unconscious state, “Andrew.” He is aware that his wife Dolores killed their children and that he murdered her out of rage. However, his defense mechanism drags him back to his self-made reality. In this way, Shutter Island can be seen as the perfect case of Freud’s theory of psychosis.

In the movie, Teddy also represents a person with a super ego-personality who tries to act with a good set of morals in every situation. From the moment he enters Shutter Island his sole motive is to find Rachel. Even though he keeps finding less evidence, he tries harder to solve the mystery of the missing person. This allows him to keep making up new reasons to live as Teddy Daniels, and not confront his truth. 

Teddy, while doing his “investigation” of the disappearance of the prisoner feels that the management by the Federal facility are obstructing his investigations as he is unable to access the records of employees and patients. He particularly wants to find out what goes on in the ward that’s reserved for the most serious offenders. In one point where both the marshalls are taking shelter from heavy rain, Teddy tells Chuck about his wife’s death and his theory about Shutter Island that it’s actually a place where dreadful mental experiments are done to transform patients into assassins. As he begins to peel away the layers of deceit, it becomes obvious that not all is as it seems.

In the last part of the movie, Dr. Cawley tells Andrew that the events of the past several days have been designed to break Andrew’s conspiracy -laden insanity by allowing him to play out the role of Teddy Daniels. He also says that all the hospital staff as part of the test, including Lester Sheehan posing as Chuck Aule and a nurse posing as Rachel Solando, the missing prisoner. Whereas Andrew’s migraines were withdrawal symptoms from his medication. 

At the end of the movie when we see Teddy come to his senses he remains in his alter reality, not being able to live with himself as a murderer. This is a clear case where his superego is still in effect. 

Shutter Island is a perfect movie for you to watch if you tilt towards the psychological thriller genre. 

Birat Dahal

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SHUTTER ISLAND Review

Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island is not about solving a mystery. It's about solving madness.  The legendary director's latest film is a gothic horror that intrigues without deception, scares without shocks, and weaves a beautiful tapestry of haunting insanity without ever relying on twists and last-minute reveals.  Once again, we see that Martin Scorsese cannot be predicted beyond an expectation of crafting a great film.  By combining breathtaking technical work with memorable performances, Scorsese has added yet another film to his list of cinematic achievements.

Set in 1954, Federal Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are assigned investigate the disappearance of inmate Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) from the Ashecliff Mental Asylum for the Criminally Insane located on Shutter Island.  But before they even step off the ferry, we know all is not well with Teddy.  Suffering from seasickness and dark memories of his dead wife Dolores (Michelle Williams), it's clear that while Teddy may be our protagonist, he's damaged and we can't entirely trust him.  An intense, compelling performance from DiCaprio pulls us in different directions as it's difficult to discern if his urgency is a result of his own trauma or the sinister vibe from the guards, nurses, orderlies, and chief psychiatrist Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley).  As the story progresses, Teddy's nightmares and hallucinations become stronger and his investigation into Solando's disappearance yields more questions than answers.

At first glance, Shutter Island may seem like a twisting narrative that refuses to play fair with the audience, but it does the complete opposite.  We're left guessing not because Scorsese's refusing to show us key elements, but because we're following an unreliable protagonist and see everything as he does.  The mystery of Shutter Island isn't what happened to Rachel Solando, but how far can we trust Teddy Daniels?  Traversing the island, we see a twisted landscape of falling trees, jagged cliffs, hidden caves, an old civil war fort that houses the most dangerous inmates, and a lighthouse where lobotomies and surgical experiments may be occurring.  There are no easy answers on Shutter Island but there aren't any tricks either.

Scorsese drenches Shutter Island in madness but not in the clichéd ways of overt, distracting symbolism or epilepsy-inducing camerawork and editing.  Instead, he and cinematographer Robert Richardson compose beautiful, haunting shots where everything drifts down from the heavens.  We experience the ashes of his torched apartment, the snowflakes falling on the corpses Teddy saw when he liberated Dachau, the leaves and rain crushing down from the hurricane that keeps Teddy and Chuck captive on the island.  It's an ethereal world of deterioration, submersion, and fire.

Counter-balancing surreal cinematography is Thelma Schoonmaker's editing, which keeps the film off-kilter.  She removes frames, cuts into dreams, but always puts the atmosphere beyond all else.  The Oscar-winning editor understands that this is the world as Terry perceives it, not one that's meant to deceive, spook, or confuse us with trick cuts.  The film does run slightly longer than it needs to, but the cutting of the individual scenes always fits the mood whether it is urgency, tragedy, obsession, or whatever else the story demands.

Known as a master of using music to elevate his movies, Scorsese pulls off one of his most difficult and impressive aural accomplishments to date.  The eclectic soundtrack features music by Brian Eno, Johnnie Ray, Max Richter, and more.  The film opens with the bold, oppressive "Fog Tropes," and without Scorsese's complete confidence and command of every other element of his film, this tune along with many others would feel corny and overbearing.

Shutter Island rests on DiCaprio's talent as much as it does Scorsese's.  DiCaprio was one of the strikes against Gangs of New York , the actor's first collaboration with Scorsese.  Eight years later, he has grown into one of the most talented dramatic performers in Hollywood.  This statement may feel condescending, but watching DiCaprio in Shutter Island , I felt like the baby-faced actor finally looked like a man.  The moustache he wore when portraying Howard Hughes in The Aviator made the actor look comical.  As Teddy Daniels, DiCaprio looks worn, beaten, and has the gaze of a man who's seen too much but fears what fresh hells he will discover.  With Shutter Island , DiCaprio gives the best performance of his career to date.

DiCaprio may hold center stage, but every actor does an outstanding job.  Patricia Clarkson, Elias Koteas, Ted Levine, and Jackie Earle Haley only have one scene each and in a lesser picture, any of them could have stolen the entire movie.  Instead, they contribute to a cast where you feel that every actor is giving their all and attempting to show us a side we've never seen from them before.  We have no one to trust and it's a testament to the abilities of actors like Sir Ben Kingsley that we don't know whether to side with Teddy's suspicion or trust the emotionally-removed employees of Ashecliffe.  DiCaprio leads the pack, but every actor in Shutter Island keeps you guessing.

Shutter Island exists on the edge of a knife and rather than fall into genre conventions or into endless homage, Martin Scorsese carves his movie into something singular and unforgettable.  Every element had to work to make this film a success.  Any flawed element, from a weak supporting performance, to a cheap narrative trick, to an indecisive music cue, and we'd lose the illusion.  Instead, Scorsese transports us to a world that's both captivating and claustrophobic.  It's a psychological horror where we're scared by what's presented yet terrified at what lies in the periphery.  How dangerous are the inmates imprisoned in the old fort?  Are the doctors of Asheville finding new ways to discover the cruelty man can impose on others?  Which is more horrifying: that they're all really out to get you or that you believe they are?

Welcome to the madhouse.  You'll enjoy your stay.

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S usan Sontag greeted the centenary of the cinema with an essay proclaiming its "ignominious, irreversible decline". She added that "the commercial cinema has settled for a policy of bloated, derivative film-making… every film that hopes to reach the highest possible audience is designed as some kind of remake". How does that sound 15 years later? Well, the two most striking films this week, Shutter Island and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , and the one we're most looking forward to next month, Polanski's The Ghost , all centre on troubled protagonists lured to remote islands to investigate disappearances and past mysteries that threaten their lives. Is this chance, the mythic underpinning of narrative, or cultural exhaustion?

Having made this pious observation, let me declare that Shutter Island , adapted by Laeta Kalogridis from Dennis Lehane's novel and directed by Martin Scorsese , the most calculatedly derivative of these pictures, is hugely enjoyable, the work of a master collaborating with some of the finest current talent. It is a dazzling pastiche of a Hollywood movie of the 1940s and 50s, part Gothic horror in the Val Lewton mode of Bedlam and Isle of the Dead and part noir-thriller in the psychiatric cycle that stretches from Hitchcock's Spellbound to Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor , complete with the obligatory dream sequences, expressionist gestures, throbbing undercurrents of guilt and anxiety and bold narrative twists. Where noir movies back then had portentous scores by European émigrés such as Franz Waxman and Miklós Rózsa, Scorsese's soundtrack features music by various European avant-garde composers and their American associates, among them Ligeti, Penderecki, Richter, Cage and Adams.

In the early 1970s Scorsese started out by following the period gangster picture Boxcar Bertha, made for Roger Corman's exploitation company, with Mean Streets , a personal story of Italian-American life, in the manner of his mentor, John Cassavetes. Ever since, he's felt equally at ease either exploiting genre conventions or working outside traditional restraints. From the opening sequence of Shutter Island he demonstrates his authority as a film-maker and the commanding knowledge of movie history he showed in A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies , the book accompanying the centenary documentary he made for the BFI.

It's 1954, H-bombs are being exploded, the House Un-American Activities Committee is at work, Senator McCarthy is assailing the army, German scientists are working in America on cold war projects. In Personal Journey Scorsese called 50s Hollywood "a fascinating era when the subtext became as important as – or sometimes more important than – the apparent subject matter". His protagonist, US marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), is on a ferry ploughing through the fog of Boston Bay towards Shutter Island, a craggy place occupied by Ashecliffe hospital, a high-security federal asylum for the criminally insane. "Pull yourself together, Teddy," he tells himself, looking in the mirror after retching in the toilet bowl, a scene reminiscent of the opening of the 1948 noir classic The Bribe , which is also set on an isolated island battered by a storm. Teddy is revealed as a driven man, an ex-soldier tormented by memories of his presence in 1945 at the liberation of Dachau and the massacre of SS guards, and determined to track down the arsonist he holds responsible for the death of his wife and children. He thinks this killer is an inmate at Ashecliffe but his official task is to search for an escaped patient, Rachel Saldano. He's accompanied by a new partner, the quiet, well-adjusted, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo).

Teddy regards almost everything around him as suspicious, and his arrival on the island is made to seem like the end of a one-way journey. The guards, the nursing staff and the patients are equally edgy and disturbing. So are the twin leaders of the clinical staff: the courteous, steely Dr Cawley (Ben Kingsley) with his glittering eyes and well-trimmed beard, and the ironic, provocative German, Dr Naehring (Max von Sydow) with his chilly grin and spiky grey hair. Cawley reveals that the fugitive Rachel can't confront the atrocity of her crime (drowning her three children), believing she's still at home in a Massachusetts village, and that the staff and fellow patients are her neighbours. If she cannot come to terms with her guilt, should she be lobotomised?

The paranoid marshal begins to unravel as the storm rages outside, and a succession of clues and curious encounters suggest the hospital is being used for deadly experiments by the federal government in furtherance of the cold war, and he has been drawn there as an intended victim, rather like the Scottish cop in the outer isles in The Wicker Man . But as Teddy's nightmares become indistinguishable from reality, we realise Scorsese has another model in mind. This is Shock Corridor in which, as Scorsese wrote in 1997, "the metaphor was crystal clear: in Fuller's vision, America had become an insane asylum".

Shutter Island is impressively acted, superbly designed by Dante Ferretti, atmospherically lit by Robert Richardson, and has costumes by Sandy Powell (who won her third Oscar last week) that are almost surreally of the 1950s. The movie does not perhaps dig quite as deeply into the period as Todd Haynes's Far From Heaven , for which Powell also designed the costumes. But it is a film that, like Psycho (to which it inevitably nods at one point), we will need to revisit before making a proper assessment.

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Shutter Island (United States, 2010)

Spoiler Alert: Although every effort has been made to limit the revelations in this review, it's difficult to provide a coherent discussion of Shutter Island without giving away something, so readers are hereby placed on alert. If you're familiar with the book, however, there's no reason to stop here…

What's wrong with Shutter Island ? This has been the question ever since Paramount Pictures elected to move the Martin Scorsese-directed thriller from its comfortable pre-Oscar position to the wastelands of February. It turns out that there's nothing wrong with Shutter Island - except perhaps that it's not Oscar worthy material. An atmospheric mind-fuck of a thriller, this movie delights in playing games with the audience's perceptions and has been crafted with such competence that it rises above the somewhat generic storyline that forms the basis of Dennis Lehane's novel. The strength of the film, like the book, is that it never allows the viewer to feel comfortable with what he is watching. That's because Shutter Island is presented from the perspective of an unreliable narrator and, as such, the lines between fantasy and reality sometimes blur so strongly that it's easy to become unanchored in trying to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. A case can be made that the movie is so enamored with this aspect of its approach that it fails to connect on an emotional level. Shutter Island addresses some powerful, disturbing concepts but, despite effective performances by the leads, the movie's psychological impact is minimal. It doesn't pack the powerhouse punch one has come to expect from Scorsese. Still, the director's consummate skill has lifted what might otherwise be a middling endeavor into something compellingly watchable. It's another Cape Fear .

The time is 1954, with the Cold War and its associated paranoia on the rise and the black magic of Nazi Germany still not entirely dispelled. The place is Shutter Island, a forbidding outcropping off the New England coast. Shutter Island houses Ashecliffe Hospital, an asylum for the criminally insane. Even more escape-proof than Alcatraz, Shutter Island virtually guarantees that the only ways out are through an officially sanctioned release or as a victim of the sea and the rocks it pummels. Federal marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), arrive on blustery early autumn day to investigate the disappearance of a prisoner, Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), who has vanished without a trace. Her doctors, Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Naehring (Max von Sydow), are less than open about what's going on behind-the-scenes on the island, and their unhelpfulness arouses Teddy's suspicions that all is not what it appears to be. Clues lead him to believe he's not merely investigating the disappearance of one woman but that he has stumbled upon experimentation exported from Germany and being used to develop perfect Cold Warriors.

From a strictly narrative standpoint, Shutter Island reflects its source material. The movie is unlike either of the recent Lehane adaptations, Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone , in that it's more gothic and atmospheric and divorced from the realities of modern tragedy. Shutter Island 's position as a period piece allows Scorsese's stylized perspective to work effectively. He borrows liberally from film noir and conventional horror, synthesizing a result that at times recalls the way in which Stanley Kubrick approached The Shining . It's unlikely any other director would have made Shutter Island in quite the same way. The place is a character. The stormy weather is a character. Even the loud, thunderous music is a character.

We recognize from the beginning that something is "off." Without going into details which might spell out too many of the narrative's detours, I can say that Scorsese conveys the influence of an unreliable narrator without explicitly revealing where the perspective diverges from an objective view of events. As a result, we can never fully trust what we're seeing. In most movies, it's an easy enough task to differentiate between dream sequences, flashbacks, and concrete reality. These elements are present in Shutter Island , but the lines between them blur. Only in retrospect is it possible to delineate them.

The problem with the film (to the extent that it is a problem) is that the central tragedies of Teddy's character are emotionally muted. They begin (in flashback) with his reaction to the concentration camp at Dachau where he arrives as a member of the liberating force and continue to a more recent event: the death of his beloved wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) in a fire. He is a tortured, haunted man, and those things only begin to reveal the demons that claw at his soul. Yet, perhaps because the structure necessitates this, Scorsese keeps the viewer at arm's-length. We observe the character from a distance and never empathize with him. We acknowledge his pain but don't experience it alongside him. For all that the craft of Shutter Island eclipses that of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone , its emotional impact is inferior.

DiCaprio, who has become Scorsese's go-to actor in the post-DeNiro era, turns in another strong, mature performance. In the immediate wake of Titanic , DiCaprio allowed himself to cash in a little on his success but, over the years, he has gravitated more toward prestige projects working for respected directors (Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Same Mendes, Edward Zwick). Had Shutter Island maintained its original late-2009 release date, DiCaprio would have been in the running for a Lead Actor Oscar nomination. He is ably supported by screen legends Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, who use their reputations to good effect. Mark Ruffalo is a little bland, but his character doesn't have much to do. The rest of the cast is comprised of accomplished character actors: Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas. (Contrary to a surprisingly long-legged rumor that's making the Internet rounds, DeNiro does not make an appearance.)

Shutter Island is satisfying in ways that February movies often are not. Like all solid thrillers, it engages while challenging the intellect. Its puzzle, while not as twisty as some, is nevertheless enticing to piece together. Yet it's easy to understand Paramount's reluctance to release the movie in the thick of the Oscar season because it's not really an awards-caliber movie. Shutter Island is enjoyable in part because of the way Scorsese approaches the material, but it is ultimately nothing more than a well-made genre effort. Relieved of the weight of Oscar expectations, perhaps Shutter Island will open up to audiences who view Scorsese as being too "artistic." After all, this production is many things, but pretentious is not among them.

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Nursing Practice in the Movie “Shutter Island” Essay

Introduction, shutter island and psychology nursing practice.

In the movie, ‘Shutter Island’ Martin Scorsese who is the director has mysterious modelled a gloomy as well as devious psychological tease in the most accepted traditional way. The movie depicts the psychology of nursing practice showing how mentally disturbed patients in the hospital can disappear without the knowledge of nurses.

For instance, the movie draws the viewers back to the time during the second world war when Teddy Daniels alongside his new colleague are send out to carry out investigations on dubious disappearance of patients from asylum meant for the criminal cases related to psychology (Townsend, 2009). There arises the challenge of security and health care service delivery to mentally ill criminals as well as the ability of the nurses to deal with search cases.

As opposed to most of the films of the twentieth century on psychological illness, the shutter island is devoid of the new psychological nursing practice. This gives a clear description of a dim psychological disorder where the disorder is equivalent to the incurability and the risk whilst the sick is equivalent to the monster.

Therefore the director of the movie cannot be compelled of an agenda that is liberal. The Shutter Island instead simplifies the fact that the asylum entertains violence .This is supported by the assertion of Leornardo who indicates that the psychologically challenged criminals do not deserve ‘calm’ (Townsend, 2009).

The play rotates around a precious as well as a rare chance on the shutter island to trying to figure out whether mind therapy can uphold the defences of the world war two survivors who are devoid of sight, is traumatised, and who has also gone an extra mile to invade the asylum murdering his wife for having murdered the children.

This is a dark plot full of complexities and it gets more paranoid as the film goes by. It twists together themes about the Hoovers, psychological trials, institutions as well as the Nazis which call for some efforts by the institution holders. As the film progresses, most characters tend to be biased towards the mental health leader. The characters look at this leader as a protagonist psychotherapist. This makes them to assume the fact that their leader is a corrupt leader

The lead psychiatrist does not concur with lobotomy (psychosurgery) as well as the advent of new prescription for instance chlorpromazine. For instance, the Germany psychiatrics arc can be dated back to Nazi experimenter and then down to pragmatic lobotomy. Ben Kingsley On the other hand founds his knowledge in psychiatry to the experience he acquired while dealing post traumatic stress patients who were depicting nightmares.

The lead psychiatrists practice however, does not yield any fruit. This rises a bit of alarm to the current psychology of nursing practice which does not work for most of the mentally challenged patients. Such unsuccessful procedures performed by the lead psychiatrists depict a lope hole in the psychology of nursing practice. It also questions the optimism of psychotherapy putting a more sceptical and cynical point of view to the psychologically challenged patients.

In conclusion, the film is well directed, and carefully brought out with fine work in health institutions details of the current health care institutions as well as the security aspect embodied. Those characters that had had an opportunity to work in health care institutions identify with the asylum in the island.

The people can agree that the challenges experienced on the island are as a result of the conflicting needs of both health care services and security. Never the less, the film ends such that most of its viewer’s ends up with distorted and compromised sympathy to the psychology patients. This calls for those in psychology nursing practice to accept and embrace advent of new treatments to help save the mental cases.

Townsend, M. (2009). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing:Concepts of care in Evidence-Based Practice (6th ed.). Philadephia: F.A Davis.

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IvyPanda . "Nursing Practice in the Movie "Shutter Island"." March 30, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/shutter-island-movie-review/.

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Mental Illness: Shutter Island, Movie Review Example

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Summary of the Film

Director Martin Scorsese’s 2010 film, Shutter Island , is a gripping and somewhat Gothic thriller, and one that enjoyed great public and critical reception.  Set in the 1950s, the movie recounts an ostensible investigation being conducted by two United States Marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule.  A patient has unaccountably vanished from her secure room at the Asheville Hospital for the Criminally Insane, a facility in Boston Harbor, and the film loses no time in setting up an intensely mysterious atmosphere.  Upon arrival, Daniels and Aule meet with the chief psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley.  He establishes the virtual impossibility of the woman’s escape, along with the additional factor that the conditions of the island are such as to render survival outside of the institution highly unlikely.

The film’s hero, or protagonist, is Daniels.  He is presented as a man in his mid-thirties, evidently capable at his profession, yet apparently troubled; ill on the ferry over to the island, he appears from the start to have immense difficulty in coping with the circumstances of the location and the case.  That is to say, there is an evident degree of unease in his manner which belies that of a trained and experienced U.S. Marshal.  From his opening encounter with the hospital’s guards to his taut, tense interview with Cawley, Daniels is clearly unsettled.   Above all, he manifests from the start an implacably suspicious behavior, even with his ally, Aule.

As the film proceeds, Daniels reveals to his partner that he is, in fact, there to achieve another goal, that of locating Andrew Laeddis, the arsonist responsible for the death of his wife and children several years earlier, and whom he has reason to believe is being held at Asheville.  Something, however, is very wrong, beyond that of the melodramatic mystery at hand.  Daniels is haunted by recurring dreams/visions of both the horrors he witnessed while liberating the death camps at the close of World War II, and of his late wife.  Then, unrealistic scenarios are presented; the missing patient’s chief clinician is “on vacation”, and the woman herself inexplicably returns to the facility after some days of surviving in the hostile, stormy landscape.

Throughout the film’s progression, an increasing urgency marks Daniels’s mistrust. He suspects his partner of some sort of complicity in the entire affair, and he goes off on his own to investigate, confronting and attacking a dangerous patient he believes to be Andrew Laeddis.  Most tellingly, Daniels braves a cliff and uncovers a lair containing whom he believes is the real, missing woman.  She informs him that she is a doctor herself, and has had to escape because of the radical drug experimentation being performed at Asheville, and which she is certain has already been applied to Daniels. As the film ends, it is revealed that Daniels himself killed his wife some years earlier, upon discovering her murder of their children, and that he has been in the grip of ongoing cycles of hallucination.  The entire construct of the “investigation” has been fabricated by the doctors to finally push Daniels into accepting the truth of his own actions, and in a permanent manner.  The alternative is a lobotomy, and the film concludes with Daniels’s seeming voluntary selection of the surgery.

Illness Assessment

As the fictional character of Teddy Daniels is presented in a dimensional manner, it is possible to assess his mental state employing t he Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) from the American Psychiatric Association.  As is evident, nothing further can be uncovered regarding such a contrived character, as the film itself also adds dramatic components not necessarily in keeping with any true illness. Nonetheless, there is ample material with which to evaluate the individual, once the extraneous effects of the story and the medium are set aside.

The single, most difficult aspect to diagnosing the character is also the most helpful, in a sense; Daniels is something beyond high-functioning, as regards all external behaviors.  He is, as noted, blatantly troubled and persistently driven by extreme suspicion, but he nonetheless exhibits clear thinking, rationality, and reasonable, if occasionally exaggerated, emotional responses.  Given the duality of the film’s storyline, it is not feasible to assess Daniels’s functioning relevant to how he is perceived by others; the entire scenario is contrived. However, it is probable that he would be perceived by ordinary people as an intelligent, driven, disturbed man, yet not one suffering from an illness.

As will be discussed later, degrees of high functioning easily obfuscate diagnosis. It is, plainly, expected that those who are mentally ill manifest specific behaviors indicating such. With Daniels, however, one component appears especially prevalent; his mistrust is so omnipresent as to indicate a persecution complex or a paranoiac state. His partner cannot be relied upon, and everyone he encounters is, he believes, lying to him. Behind this is the larger, paranoiac framework of the government’s attempt to isolate the man who destroyed his family.  Consequently, a cursory examination may safely categorize Daniels as paranoid.

This does not, however, hold up.  For one thing, Daniels’s mistrust is not uniformly applied, as he fully accepts the information presented to him by the hidden woman later revealed as a delusion. That she is not real does not eviscerate the import of his belief, for a true paranoiac would soon doubt even a manufactured informant. “She” feeds his fears and confirms his extreme suspicions, but her essential value as a construct lies, not in enabling persecution beliefs, but in her fictive being itself.  Paranoia typically does not require additional material created by the sufferer, as the psychodynamic causes of narcissism, grandiosity, perfectionism, sadomasochism, and rebellion ordinarily are amply fueled by actual, external elements (Kantor, 2004,  p. 117).

It seems far more likely that Daniels is suffering from delusional disorder.  He very effectively creates a “pseudocommunity” to support the depth and range of his delusions. More precisely, the facilities at Shutter Island provide him with something of an ideal platform upon which to do so. Delusional disorder frequently requires elements of persecution and paranoia, and these can be no better manufactured than in the form of supposed caregivers who are, in fact, plotting against him in this fictive construct (Sadock, Sadock, 2008,  p. 183). Delusional disorder is of itself open to other diagnoses, however, and the character of Daniels indicates that he could be classified as Mixed Type by DSM-IV standards.  That is, he is clearly delusional, but in a variety of ways.  In addition to the strong persecution complex evident, there is as well something of a grandiose view of himself as the “savior” of the situation of the island (Clyman, 2010), which refer back to characteristics of paranoia.  This difficulty notwithstanding, that Daniels does indeed suffer from delusions is the keynote in any DSM-IV analysis.  His delusions are the concrete form his illness takes, throughout the film, and they are astoundingly elaborate and well-constructed.

For example, when he confronts the woman whom he believes to be the missing patient in the cave, he is as well developing physical symptoms of shaking. “She” accounts for this by explaining that the staff and doctors have been administering drugs to him in the coffee, food, and cigarettes he has accepted from them.  The audience later learns that the shaking is not part of his delusion, but a genuine symptom of, in fact, the drug withdrawal Daniels is undergoing as part of the radical exercise in forcing him to confront reality.  This reveals the intricate organization of his delusions; faced with a physical symptom he cannot ignore, his high functioning mind finds a way to strategically employ it within the delusion.

Persecutory-type delusional disorder is marked by intense feelings of paranoia, and the sufferer, true to the larger designation, constructs often complex scenarios which support the persecution.  Not unexpectedly, this condition is often difficult to distinguish from paranoid and/or schizoid personality disorder (Cohen, 2003,  p. 244).  The problem with this diagnosis, unfortunately, is that Daniels does not fully adhere to it in terms of a relentless sense of being persecuted.  That is to say, he exerts himself to end the circumstances; he has, in fact, no other ostensible goal, and this essentially defies the definition.  A true victim of persecutory-type delusional disorder does not, generally, so actively seek to vanquish the persecution.

Ultimately, then, it appears that Daniels suffers from a variation of delusional disorder, and this can be established by the other, most striking fact of his case: the durations of his delusions.

When everything about him is taken into consideration, Brief Psychotic Disorder seems to be the villain.  It is not brought about by medical conditions or the use of drugs, it is a transient psychotic state, and its duration may be a single day or a month (First, Tasman, 2009, p. 253).  As is revealed, Daniels has in the past been able to free himself from his delusions, only to revert back to them, and consequently the disorder applies.

A major dilemma inherent in treating victims of any form of delusional disorder lies in the nature of the illness itself.  Many will not consider treatment, not unexpectedly, because the strength and complexity of their delusions are consistently and potently reinforced by them, and they cannot admit to the likelihood of actually being ill.  Moreover, such sufferers rarely manifest behaviors ordinarily associated with psychotic disorders; there is no dysphoria, erratic behavior, or deficits in functioning (Weiner, Craighead, 2010,  p. 469).

Given the complexity inherent within cases of high functioning delusional disorder, even of the brief psychotic type, it would seem that drug treatment would be unavailing.  For one thing, anti-psychotic drugs do not generally work well with patients suffering from delusions; the pathways within the disorder, particularly in high-functioning individuals, do not follow the disruptive patterns of a typical psychotic disorder (Lieberman, Tasman, 2006,  p. 20).  That is to say, the delusions of a high-functioning person like the hero of Shutter Island are, in a sense, non-delusional, because they have the form and structure of actual reality. Any drug effective in combating the process of the delusion creation would then seriously impair the individual’s necessary, cognitive functions.

Ideally, therapy is called for in this instance.  As the character demonstrates, he can at times fully appreciate the scope and nature of his illness.  Moreover, there have been episodes wherein he has maintained a sense of reality for extended periods of time.  That Daniels has reverted back to his delusions by no means indicates that a therapeutic form of address may not be permanently effective.   That this therapy has, in fact, enabled periods of lucidity points to a probability of permanent success.  In this patient’s case, it would be recommended that an intensely interactive, yet non-aggressive, therapy be maintained, and on a rigorously held schedule.

Legal and Ethical Issues as Presented in the Film

Taking the film, Shutter Island , at face value, what enables it to succeed as an engrossing movie is also very much what hampers it as any realistic presentation on the treatment of mental disease.  The movie – conveniently – is set in the 1950s, so a substantial amount of leeway is given for procedures and ideologies both out of date and glaringly unethical, if not illegal.  The surgical procedure of the frontal lobotomy, for instance, is the dark  deus ex machina of the story; it is made clear that, unless demonstrable progress is evident, there is no other recourse. Legalities aside, this is a strikingly extreme measure to take when a patient, even of that era, is not particularly violent, or only expresses violence within the framework of the experimental “treatment”.

There are other issues.  It is strongly suggested that the staff of Asheville, while clearly concerned with Daniels’s well-being, requires more in the way of cooperation from him, rather than recovery.  At the film’s conclusion, it is implied that an outward show of compliance – that  is to say, an acknowledged acceptance of reality – would completely placate the doctors. That Daniels elects to defy this expectation, which choice appears to be suspect in motive by his doctor, ensures the lobotomy.  It is ethically outrageous that any doctor doubting the intent of the patient in such a case would carry on with the radical surgery, which is itself inherently dangerous and less than ethical.

Mental Illness: Media Presentation vs. Actual Care

For some time, mental illness has been a grossly exploited theme in media presentation.  For all its melodrama, Shutter Island is actually a somewhat realistic account of one variety of it, certainly in comparison to the majority of other treatments of the subject in entertainment.  Largely due to the popularity of the 1957 film, The Three Faces of Eve , for example, people believed for decades that Dissociative Identity Disorder and schizophrenia were the same thing.  Even later films based upon the disorder, such as 1976’s Sybil , sensationalized the illness for dramatic effect.

Beyond entertainment venues, it seems that little is known about mental illness through media venues chiefly because of the intrinsically complicated, and often non-apparent, ways in which much of it is manifested.  It is true that modern communication access has rendered certain forms of mental illness components of ordinary conversation; “bi-polar” and “manic-depressive” are commonly and frequently employed when, in fact, anything resembling a change in mood is evident.  Nonetheless, the reality remains that a subject as complex, and as still greatly misunderstood, as mental illness does not easily lend itself to acceptably realistic media presentation.

Then, there is the issue of functioning, alluded to earlier.  A wide variety of severe mental illnesses exist within sufferers who perform ordinary living skills and behaviors perfectly well. Appearance disguises reality in these cases, and a sense of disbelief  is typically generated regarding actual illness because, ultimately, mental illness is a frightening thing to consider.  It creates fear because, simply, it is somewhat unfathomable to the well person, who cannot in any meaningful way identify with someone whose mind is suffering from disease or disorder.

Fortunately, if somewhat ironically, that society has come to accept the extraordinary levels of complexity and variety within mental illness serves to greatly support the field.  That is to say, it seems that, the more blatant the acknowledgment that much regarding mental illness remains unknown, the more respectful society is towards it.  Combination therapies and new drugs are constantly being tested and devised, to treat an increasing range of mental disorders; there are disappointments, but there are as well reasons for optimism.  What is most essential, however, is that the relatively recent and genuine regard for mental illness itself be maintained.  If the days of perceiving the mentally ill as possessed by demons are gone, and the conviction that cutting out segments of the brain is a wholesome way to proceed are now seen as barbaric, excellent.  Nonetheless, it must be remembered always, in terms of actual care for the mentally ill, that an innate regard for what the human brain is capable of must translate to an equal respect for what may go wrong within it.

Clyman, J.  (2010.)  “Shutter Island: Separating Fact from Fantasy.” Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reel-therapy/201002/shutter-island-separating-fact-fiction

Cohen, B. J. (2003.)  Theory and Practice of Psychiatry .  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

First, M. B., and Tasman, A.  (2009.)  Clinical Guide to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders.   Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Kantor, M. (2004.)  Understanding Paranoia: A Guide for Professionals, Families, and Sufferers . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Lieberman, J. A., and Tasman, A. (2006.)  Handbook of Psychiatric Drugs. Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Sadock, B. J., and Sadock, V. A. (2008.)  Kaplan and Sadock’s Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Weiner, I. B., and Craighead, W. E. (2010.)  The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology .  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Shutter Island — A Psychological Analysis of Mental Illness in Shutter Island

A Psychological Analysis of Mental Illness in Shutter Island

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Shutter Island (2010)

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Shutter island, common sense media reviewers.

Twisty, disturbing Scorsese thriller too intense for most.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie deals with the limits of the human mind

The hero is not much of a role model. He has twin

Quite a few disturbing flashbacks and nightmare se

No sex, but in a flashback sequence we see a littl

The words "f--k" is heard about a dozen times; "s-

Characters smoke cigarettes often, and one charact

Parents need to know that Shutter Island is a very intense thriller, with some highly disturbing imagery, including drowned children, Nazi concentration camps, piles of corpses, blood, guns, dark prison corridors, and bizarre, scary nightmares and hallucinations. It contains strong, but not pervasive, foul…

Positive Messages

The movie deals with the limits of the human mind and the sheer amount of horror and torment it can take before it snaps. It also examines the extent to which humans are capable of violence and evil. Some characters may or may not have good intentions, but the movie deliberately blurs this behavior in the service of the story. Some conversation about belief in God.

Positive Role Models

The hero is not much of a role model. He has twin goals: One of them requires bravery and selflessness and the other, selfish revenge. But whether he achieves either of these goals is up for debate. He also exhibits violent and erratic behavior throughout and does not play well with others. (On the other hand, he does risk his life in one sequence to save his partner.) Other characters do not seem trustworthy or reliable either.

Violence & Scariness

Q uite a few disturbing flashbacks and nightmare sequences, with piles of dead bodies in the Dachau concentration camp, a failed suicide attempt (the victim lays twitching in a puddle of blood), drowned children, a woman's body burning, shooting victims, and more blood. One scene shows the mass slaughter of Nazi guards by American soldiers; their bodies are riddled with bullets as they collapse, one by one, in a line. There are also scary images, such as prisoners grabbing through prison bars at the hero.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

No sex, but in a flashback sequence we see a little kissing between an affectionate married couple. Brief flash of unclothed male prisonors.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

The words "f--k" is heard about a dozen times; "s--t" a few times. We also hear "dick," "prick," "cock," "screw that," "dammit," "Jesus Christ," and "Goddamn it."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters smoke cigarettes often, and one character smokes a pipe. The main character once had a drinking problem, but now abstains from liquor. We see him drinking whisky in flashbacks. Other characters drink in a social way. The hospital uses various sedatives and other kinds of drugs on the patients. The hero takes aspirins and there is a suggestion that they might be laced with hallucinogens or other drugs. We see the effects of these drugs through the eyes of the hero.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Shutter Island is a very intense thriller, with some highly disturbing imagery, including drowned children, Nazi concentration camps, piles of corpses, blood, guns, dark prison corridors, and bizarre, scary nightmares and hallucinations. It contains strong, but not pervasive, foul language, smoking, and suggestions of various medical/experimental drugs. The movie's surprises and twists, while somewhat transparent, might appeal to older teens, if they can stomach the strong stuff. Younger kids and teens are strongly warned away. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (35)
• Kids say (105)

Based on 35 parent reviews

Excellent movie! Very well-made!

Thrilling and brilliant, what's the story.

In 1954, federal marshal Teddy Daniels ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) and his new partner Chuck Aule ( Mark Ruffalo ) arrive on Shutter Island, a treatment facility outside of Boston for the criminally insane, to search for an escaped murderess. Haunted by past images from Nazi concentration camps and visions of his dead wife ( Michelle Williams ), Teddy has another, more personal reason to visit the island. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that there might be far more sinister things going on, and that doctors Cawley ( Ben Kingsley ) and Naehring ( Max von Sydow ), may be involved in some kind of hideous experiment. But even if Teddy can find proof, will he ever get off the island?

Is It Any Good?

SHUTTER ISLAND is a great-looking, highly stylized, very intense thriller in the vein of Martin Scorsese 's earlier Cape Fear (1991). The film was directed by the legendary Scorsese and adapted from a novel by Dennis Lehane ( Mystic River , Gone Baby Gone ). While Scorsese is very good at creating strong images and exploring powerful characters head-on, though, he's not particularly good at sneaking around, planting clues and red herrings, and springing surprise plot twists.

Experienced moviegoers will likely be two jumps ahead of the story, but that doesn't take away from the pure, exciting, physical experience of the movie itself. Individual moments and the performances of an excellent cast can take your breath away, regardless of the whole. As with many of Scorsese's movies, the imagery can be of a highly disturbing -- even nightmarish -- nature, and younger viewers are strongly warned away.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's violent nightmares, visions, and flashbacks. How did they affect you? Did they make you feel angry, edgy, or curious? Why do you think that was? Did you notice your behavior change after the movie?

Talk about the methods of Dr. Cawley ( Ben Kingsley ), which include listening to and empathizing with his patients. How is this better than treating dangerous patients with drugs and locking them up? Is it easier, or more difficult, to listen?

According to the movie, the human brain has the capacity to block out memories of horrible or tragic events. What effect would this have? Would it make life easier, or more difficult?

The movie is set in 1954 and portrays a lot of era-accurate smoking ? What has changed about how people think about smoking since the 1950s?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 19, 2010
• On DVD or streaming : June 8, 2010
• Cast : Ben Kingsley , Leonardo DiCaprio , Mark Ruffalo
• Director : Martin Scorsese
• Inclusion Information : Indian/South Asian actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Thriller
• Run time : 138 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : disturbing violent content, language and some nudity
• Last updated : January 30, 2024

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Shutter Island (Film)

By martin scorsese, shutter island (film) essay questions.

Who is Andrew Laeddis?

Teddy Daniels initially believes in his delusions that Andrew Laeddis is the name of the arsonist who killed his wife, and who is currently being kept at Ashecliffe. However, Andrew Laeddis is in fact Teddy himself. Laeddis was committed to Shutter Island after murdering his wife for drowning their three children. During his two years as a patient at the facility, Andrew created and maintained an alter-ego, that of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, on a mission to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando (an anagram for his wife's name, Dolores Chanal). Teddy only realizes that he is Andrew Laeddis when, at the lighthouse, Cawley shows him pictures of his children, forcing him to remember the circumstances of their deaths.

What is the symbolic and plot-level significance of the lighthouse?

The lighthouse is the place where Ashecliffe doctors perform lobotomies, which Teddy learns from George Noyce in Ward C, and also the place Teddy believes Chuck is being held captive. Dolores tries to keep Teddy away from the lighthouse because it is where Teddy will eventually find out that he is not Teddy at all, but rather Andrew Laeddis. The lighthouse is a complex symbol that conveys illumination and knowledge as the place where Teddy finds out the truth, and also darkness and violence as the place where trans-orbital lobotomies are inflicted upon Ashecliffe's hopeless cases.

What is the symbolism of the fog in the opening shot?

Scorsese opens the film with a shot of a ferry drifting through fog in order to convey the fact that certain events and motives are being concealed from the audience, making the true nature of various scenes difficult to perceive. The tense mood during Ted and Chuck's ascent to Ashecliffe, for instance, initiallly seems to result from an escaped patient, when in fact it stems from Teddy himself. Teddy is, himself, stuck in a delusional fog, unable to realize that he has already been living at Ashecliffe for two years, under the care of his primary physician who is role-playing as his U.S. Marshal partner, Chuck Aule.

What does "The Law of 4" mean?

Teddy finds this written on a note found in the first Rachel Solando's empty cell. "The Law of 4" refers to the ritual significance of the number four in Teddy's delusional world. An aerial shot at the end of the film showing Teddy's three dead children and his dead wife lined up in a row emphasizes the fact that Teddy's trauma derives from four sudden and shocking murders, all committed on the same afternoon. Cawley's chalkboard illustration of the fact that Teddy has transliterated "ANDREW LAEDDIS" and "DOLORES CHANAL" into "TEDDY DANIELS" and "RACHEL SOLANDO" also reflects the four appellations that correlate in Teddy's mind.

What does the last line of the film mean?

Teddy asks Chuck whether it would "be better to live as a monster or die as a good man" at the film's end. The line suggests that Teddy has two options facing him: struggle to remain in control of his delusions and remain at Ashecliffe indefinitely, or give into them and the prospect of a lobotomy procedure. Teddy seems to regress, but whether or not he actually regresses or simply pretends to regress because he realizes a lobotomy is the more humane option, is left ambiguous. Whether or not Teddy is really a "monster" or a "good man," especially given the traumatic events he has experienced, is left for the audience to evaluate.

Shutter Island (Film) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Shutter Island (Film) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

1. List three words that Cawley said to trigger Teddy’s memories?

I saw this film so long ago. Are you looking for a specific line in the movie?

Teddy sets off a patient he is interrogating about Rachel Solando. What is Teddy doing that drives the patient crazy, so to speak?

I think he was trying to imitate the sound of the patient cutting off the nurses face.

How is this movie a psychological thriller? What evidence is portrayed in this movie to suggest that it is a psychological thriller?

Madness is central to the plot of Shutter Island, a film that takes place entirely at a mental hospital. The protagonist Teddy Daniels is trapped in a delusion for nearly the entire film, only able to acknowledge the reality of his past for mere...

Study Guide for Shutter Island (Film)

Shutter Island (Film) study guide contains a biography of director Martin Scorsese, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Shutter Island (Film)
• Shutter Island (Film) Summary
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Essays for Shutter Island (Film)

Shutter Island (Film) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Shutter Island (Film), directed by Martin Scorsese.

• Shutter Island Analysis: The Role of Symbolism
• The Psychology of a Guilty Conscious: Descending into Madness in “Shutter Island”

Wikipedia Entries for Shutter Island (Film)

• Introduction

• Privacy Policy

Shutter Island Analysis

Leonardo dicaprio of shutter island.

Shutter Island is an American Psychological Film that expresses a lot of disorder and dissociative identities disorders, especially from the main character of the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is a reflection of the Dennis Lehane’s novel of 2003, which was later produced as a non-noir psychological thriller. It was directed by Martin Scorsese. The gist of the movie is the investigation of a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island after a patient disappears. This discussion will, therefore, focus on the analysis of the main character, Leonardo who suffers from a lot of disorders.

In the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio begins as a marshal of the United States of America, where he investigates a psychiatric facility of Shutter Island primarily due to the disappearance of the one patient Rachel Solando. She was incarcerated for the act of drowning her three children. What leads Leonardo to her is the note found in her room. Their journey is delayed for three days on the Island due to the massive storm that affects the movement to the mainland. A controversy arises when Leonardo finds the doctor who was caring for Rachel also absent for a vacation, especially after the disappearance of the Solando. This creates a discussion, making them demand a full access in the hospital, and being warned against accessing ward C. however, as the investigation goes on, a patient writes to Leonardo Warning him to run.

The Movie is based on a psychiatric experiment that takes place in the island, unknown to government authorities as well as the most people working in the island it is for that reason why Rachel is infected to prevent her from revealing the illegal experiment to the government agencies. Leonardo, being a government agency that might investigate and reveal the secrets of the island, the management had to do all things possible to prevent that from happening. Therefore, the investigation of the disorders and deactivation disorders are consequently conducted to help in the completion of the experiment

Dissociative identity disorder is one of the diseases that Leonardo suffers from. This condition is characterized by possessing different identities.  Recalling for essential episodes of one’s life being among the most common symptoms of the DID. According to the movie, Leonardo finds it challenging to remember where he left his partner Aula, mainly when he wanted to access the restricted room by claiming the Clift and the partner are separated from him. An analysis of the investigation of the Shutter Islands which he conducts also is characterized by a mix-up of information, especially the explanation of how Rachel ends up in the facility as a patient rather than a doctor.

During their investigation as well Leonardo sees the body of Aula on the rock. When he gets down, the organization had disappeared, and he could not recall where the body was. This is a sign of hallucination, a condition that characters the Dissociative Identity Disorder. The disappearance of the body creates a healthy fear to Leonardo which furthers the situation. The story is therefore based on the disorder that affects the brain and how it operates.

Further analysis shows that when Rachel appeared me from the cave, it becomes difficult to understand how it happens since the prior knowledge of Leonardo was based on the fact that she had disappeared from the island and no one can access the place she went. However, Leonardo does not bother to ask how she reemerges. This gives rise to the question of the memories of the personal identity for the Leonardo. The inability to remain straight to one process is one of the indications. This includes the fact that breaking into ward C is abandoned after discovering that his partner was gone and hence had to look for him in the lighthouse. These are some of the significant signs id the DID and consequently interfered with the ordinary conduct of the investigation.

Dissociative identity disorder is a condition that pushes an individual to poses multiple identities that come about as a result of a severe persistent period of childhood trauma or negligence. There exist many signs and symptoms of the condition. In this case, among the common symptoms include the possession of more than one distinct identity, a severe impairment, and distress in the functioning, disturbances that are not caused by the culture or religious practices. Among other symptoms

However, there are also signs that can easily be observed from an individual suffering from the condition, among the signs include, disagreeing personalities of an individual, each person with its memory social relations and behavioral character. Stress in such individuals causes a sudden transformation in the individual’s personality. These are the significant signs demonstrated by Leonardo, in the movie Shutter Island.

The movie, Shutter Island also possesses a lot of delusional disorder, especially from the main character Leonardo.  These can be seen in many cases where of his action throughout the movie. Without following any order, the f the fact that is partners disappear from the rock, where he saw him before climbing down the cliff make him have a firm belief that he had been taken to a lighthouse. Without any evidence of the disappearance, but rather a current understanding of being born, he switches his investigation to finding his partner on the tower. This firm conviction without proof of truth is a symptom of delusion. It gives an individual a firm idea that something exists while in the real sense, it does not.

A further indication of delusion disorder as shown by Leonardo is the fact that despite the fact that the doctor told him that the lighthouse had been searched and wards C is a secured place. He still insists on accessing it since he firmly believed that Rachel could still be holding in the areas. Therefore, his efforts to prove other the truth make him and his partner make a move to investigate the ward. Moreover, the existence of the mistrust in the side of Daniel is one of the most common cases of delusion. Therefore, the investigation conducted by Daniel and his partner, in the movie about Rachel and other rising cases do not have reliable,  facts but rather beliefs on that there might be something that the hospital is hiding.

Dilution disorder is a condition where an individual has fixed beliefs that do not change even if the individual is presented with attached evidence of the nonexistence of the faith. In most cases, the view is referred to as a bizarre, especially when the idea is implausible and peer within the same environment are not in a position to understand them. An example is when an individual believes that he possesses an organ that does not belong to him and the replacement has been done without leaving any scar. In the case of Leonardo’s case, the belief that his wife was killed in a fire set by a local arsonist is one of such instances on t of the bizarre delusion disorder.

There exist different types of delusion disorder that might affect an individual. These include the aromatic where an individual believes that a person that belongs to a higher social class is in love with him. Grandson, on the other hand, is a belief that he or she has a great, talent but others fail to reorganize it. Jealousy, persecutory, somatic and missed dilution is among the common types of disorder that affect an individual. In the case of Leonardo, known as Daniel in the movie, he suffers from persecutory delusion disorder, where he fails to believe what the doctor told him about Rachel, ward C, and the lighthouse.

Different signs and symptoms characterize the delusional disorder. Apart from the unusual symptoms, there may be other bizarre symptoms that happen in real life, but not happening to the individual in question. These people with delusional disorder always function very well in their day to day life only that in the cares of manic cases where hallucination happens may result in the abnormal practices of an individual. These people may express violence due to the high level of anger that they may possess. Therefore, delusional disorder is what pushes Leonardo to investigate everything on the island.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is in of the most presented condition that Daniel suffers from this is a condition that results in experiencing a long time of trauma. In the case of Leonardo, the fever and the constant dream of his wife, especially after her death made him suffer from a long time of trauma, resulting in a post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the places the injury can be seen is where Daniel falls dizzy then dreams of her dead wife and how she died this is a clear indication that he was suffering from their trauma.

Moreover, the presentation of the trauma is the stress to fulfill and find the people responsible for the death of his wife this gives. This gives him an urge to continue investigating crime cases; this is shown by his willingness to research on the end of Rachel children and finds where he hides in the effort to investigate the truth behind her action. The post-traumatic disorder, therefore, interferes with his decision making and exerts a lot of pressure on him to find a solution to the cases of those results from crimes.

The post-traumatic disorder is a mental condition in most cases triggered by terrifying events, which an individual experienced or is expecting to happen. The constant flashback, nightmares and constant severe anxiety including an uncontrollable memory about development are among the typical symptoms of the post-trauma disorder. These people find it difficult to cope or adjust to the new reality. The symptoms may interfere with the day to day operation of an individual in severe cases.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can start within one month of an occurrence, but the symptoms may begin to appear years after the start of the condition. The symptoms hence interfere with the social relations of the individual. It also prevents them from carrying their daily activities.  In the movie the main character suffers the past scary memories of the death of the wife, therefore, interfering with his ability to investigate the problem that happens on the on the Shutter Island.

A father analysis of the of the of the post-traumatic stress disorder reveals that the intrusive memories, characterized by recurrent, unwanted and distressing memories of the event, as well as fresh thinking of the traumatic event whenever they occur again.  The existence of a severe emotional distress, therefore, prevents one from concentrating and carrying his or her day to day activities in a thorough way. These can be seen in the case of Leonardo.

An individual can avoid post stress trauma disorder through avoiding the memories of the past occurs, especially occupying himself with the new exciting thing in a stimulating environment. There is a need to avoid negative thinking or engaging in events that may trigger the memory of an individual to think o0f the past game.

In conclusion, the movie, Shutter Island exploits the psychological factors that affect the mind and the occurrence of disorders. The hospital, therefore, researchers on the control mind activities that may help to cure any chance of the confusion that affects the brain. Leonardo finds himself on their Island, not knowing he also suffers from the condition. This, therefore, gives an opportunity to understand how the disorders may affect an individual way of thinking and operations.

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