Each month, I will be interviewing some of my friends and asking them about their favorite films! “Favorite Films with Frances” is my way of bonding with people about the art that I am most passionate about, but also to see what film holds a special place in their hearts and how amazing and influential cinema has can be in all of our lives.
This month, I interviewed my roommate Karina Cole about her favorite film, The Truman Show (1998). One of the very first things I learned about Karina was that this was her favorite film (along with Shark Tale), and I really respect her for it; it’s an amazing movie, and Jim Carrey is absolutely spectacular in it. Karina is super passionate about this film and I wish I could capture more of how much she wanted to talk about it. She has great insight into what the film means for us as a society in discovering that sometimes our realities are not always what they make themselves to be, and that we have the choice to break away from that. I highly recommend this film if you want something from the 90s that will make you think, which is undoubtedly one of my top three favorite film genres.
Frances Divinagracia: What is your favorite film?
Karina Cole: My favorite film is The Truman Show (closely followed by my 2nd favorite Shark Tale).
The Truman Show (1998), Paramount Pictures
FD: Why does this film mean so much to you?
KC: This film means so much to me because of two really big things: One, my Dad (who knows so much, he’s amazing) showed it to me, our family absolutely LOVES Jim Carrey too so it’s very nostalgic to watch and it reminds me of him. Secondly, I see Truman in all of us – I think he is one of THE most relatable characters of all time. Truman is so lovable and genuine, genius and incredibly driven throughout the film – it’s impossible to not be rooting for him. I also want to mention that I think his healthy skepticism is such a good trait to have, don’t trust the world too much, they might be taking advantage of you (laughs).
FD: What is your favorite scene/sequence/quote in the film and why?
KC: Oh of course my favorite quote is the classic: “Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, Good afternoon, Good Evening and Goodnight.” However, my favorite scene (one of them, it’s so hard to choose) is when Truman is figuring out that there is a pattern to what’s going on around him, and his skepticism is quickly growing. In this scene, he sits his wife down in the passenger seat of his car and tells her, “I predict that in just a moment we will see a lady on a red bike, followed by a man with flowers, and a Volkswagen beetle with a dented fender.” So, just a moment, later his prediction comes true, and he explains that he knew this was going to happen because this keeps happening?? so weird, and the people doing these things are on a loop, they go around and round the block and do it again. I think this part is just so funny and tense and peculiar all at once as you see Truman start to fall into this dichotomy-type state of acting in a crazy, or as he would call it “spontaneous” way. Yet he is also acting in a completely rational way – if you can imagine figuring out your whole life is fake and planned for you, or that you’re being watched… in that way his actions seem considerably reasonable!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jeCZE5iq0o
FD: What do you think is the deeper meaning or message that this film is trying to convey? (About the public vs. private of our lives, what it means to break away from society, etc)
KC: This question is so hard to answer because I could take it in so many different directions! The Truman Show is incredibly applicable and relates to so many different man-made settings of life. I think some of the main messages that stand out to me in the movie are the ideas of paranoia and being on the inside of the life of a celebrity, experiencing fame/lack of privacy. Truman’s situation encompasses so many of the paranoid, self-focused, distrustful, and delusional thoughts we have every day. I think it can be easy in many ways to fall into our routines and accept the world around us without a second thought, and I also think that The Truman Show challenges situations, relationships and ideals we accept so blindly that it pushes us to think and discover outside of the bubble we live in. I think Truman’s inward struggle for truth is also quite beautiful; throughout the movie we get to follow his pursuit to escape, outside of his plastic world to discover and reach MORE. On a deeper level, I think The Truman Show also asserts this claim about how hard it can be to break out of the “truths” we accept within our lives. Moving on or saying goodbye to something, especially something we have learned to know as our experience in reality is pivotal! Without those experiences, how can we accept and understand anything greater than our own individual lives. I could go on forever really, there’s so much to talk about. But I’ll keep it at that for now.
The Truman Show (1998), Paramount Pictures
FD: How would you feel if your whole life was a television show? Do you think it would be a drama/sitcom/etc.?
KC: Oh gosh, I have thought about this ever since I saw the Truman show for the first time when I was just nine. I think if I found out, I would feel extremely betrayed. There is no way to measure or even begin to understand what 30+ years (in his case) of emotional and psychological trauma and scarring that would cause. To realize that ALL of your relationships were staged and everything that occurred to you was also planned out. Gosh, I just don’t understand how you could recover from that. However, IF people were watching me from day to day and my life was a show, I think it would be pretty weird to be honest. I think a lot in my head instead of writing my feelings out or talking about them, so I think people might be confused as to why I do the things I do. Honestly, it would probably be pretty dull most of the time too; especially as I’m so busy with different kinds of work. Other than that, I’m a very sentimental person though so I think if you all were watching me, you’d see the various and common heartwarming things that happen in my life for sure, the things I go through are also funny in a lot of ways, so many a mix between a sitcom and a feel-good family movie (laughs).
FD: If you could spend a day with any of the characters in the film, who would it be and why?
KC: I can’t choose just one! All the real people in the film who aren’t pretending, that’s who I would me most inclined to spend time with. With that being said, I’d definitely choose Truman (I’m sorry so obvious) or Christof (the director of his show) or Sylvia (his first love interest) It’s just that everyone else in the show was staged and literally made-up characters, so I don’t feel like I know them as well. I would love to know more about Truman post-escape of the dome. I would be interested in hearing about what life was like unsheltered and not staged compared to what his life was before. Christof, I would want to know why he almost killed Truman that night on the boat, it seemed unreasonably unethical and really evil of him to go to these great lengths to hurt Truman. I would want to get to know him a little better, he was a smart character, with some pretty incredible one liners too, especially one of my favorites, “We accept the reality with which we are presented.” Then I would love to get to know Sylvia better! She was amazing! Did she ever find Truman? How did she get into that role in the first place? Did she love him before they met? What drew her to take that risk? She was the coolest.
FD: Anything else you want to say about the film and why you love it!
KC: Please watch this movie if you haven’t in the past month-it’s that good! There’s something for everyone: thriller, comedy, drama, mystery, love-story, coming of age film (in some ways). It’s just all around such a feel-good movie. Two of my favorite things about this movie is: The enduring romance that persists in Truman trying to remember Sylvia and creating a picture of her out of magazines – it’s so beautiful when they meet, no cameras are present, it’s just her intense eyes totally fixated on him. There are few movies that have ever competed in my opinion, or pulled at my heartstrings in so many ways, you just have to see for yourself. ❤
The Truman Show (1998), Paramount Pictures
FRANCES DIVINAGRACIA | “Good morning, and in case I don’t see you: good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” | KXSU Arts Reporter