Shutter Island

NarrativeShutter island is about a U.S. Marshal called Teddy (Leonardo Dicaprio) who is investigating a psychiatric facility located on Shutter Island with his new partner Chuck as a patient vanished from a locked room. The patient is called Rachel who supposedly killed her three children by drowning them but what you learn at the end is that it was all a set up and it was actually Teddys wife that killed his children which caused him to go insane. They made up a story about the other patient to see if he would remember what happened but he never does and still lives a fantasy life that he is a U.S. Marshal but actually he lives in the psychiatric ward. The narrative isn’t really explained that well in the trailer, all you can really work out is that he’s a martial and he’s gone to an island. You could also probably guess that it is a psychiatric facility as you see a lot of people wearing all white. But if they told anymore they might give something away because it is quite a confusing storyline but that’s what makes a psychological thriller as it enables the audience to use there mind to work things out as well as the characters in the film.

Film Trailer

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkO2t1DtENs&feature=related

GenreShutter island is a psychological thriller but could also act as horror too as 8 seconds into the trailer there is a haunting clip of an old woman with her finger on her lips which is quite a frightening and unusual clip. Her doing that could represents all the hidden secrets that are on the island. Even though she’s actually doing it to Teddy on the film it’s as if she’s doing it to the audience which makes it really effective. From the start of the trailer you find that there’s lots of flashing lights which is a common effect used in thrillers to make the audience sit on their seat as normally something pops out when lights come on in a horror movie. The same effect is used that is used on Black Swan where the dialogue is very innocent but the video clips are more haunting. Black Swan starts with a fairytale-like story and Shutter Island has one of the guards saying ‘Gentlemen, Welcome to Shutter Island’ which is friendly and welcoming but then you have the old woman there who looks very pale and intimidating. Again there’s lots of loud diegetic sound like there is in Black Swan like screaming, footsteps, match being lit which makes the film thrilling and make you wonder what’s going to happen next. The editing pace also shows that it is a thriller as sometimes it speeds up but then sometimes it’ll be slower which builds up suspense.

RepresentationAt the start of the trailer you can instantly describe what type of man Teddy is. The mid-shot of him walking lets us allow see what he’s wearing but also his facial expressions. He looks like a very serious man as he’s pulling a straight face and his suit makes him look very intelligent and important. However, his hat could represent that he’s hiding something and the more to be told about him. He looks quite tough but his clear facial expression almost make him look worried about something. But then as the trailer goes on you start to see him slowly losing it just like in Black Swan which represents them as getting weaker. The patients in Swan Lake are represented like criminals like at the start of the trailer the woman has handcuffs on which presents her as being uncontrollable and unworthy of being by herself.

Film PosterThis film poster is very dark unlike Black Swans which gives a frightening effect. The lighting on his face allows you to only see half of his face which could represent and foreshadow the fact that he is actually the person missing. His facial expression is very eye catching here as if he is suspicious but a hint of worry in his eye. One of the most eye-catching things is the glow around the island as if it’s some sort of treasure. The lighthouse then makes you look at the flame which is the brightest colour on the poster which makes it stand out on the black background. The smoke off the fire highlights his face allowing the audience to see his facial expression more clear. The island compared to his face is quite blurred which could give the audience an insight to the plot of the film on how he’s trying to figure something out. Leonardo Dicaprio’s name is written in white above the title almost promoting him as an actor then the title is written in bright red stained writing which could represent blood referring to genre of the film, a thriller.

Film MagazineThe film magazine has got the same kind of features as the poster like the island, the lighthouse and the same kind of colours. The whole cover has been adjusted to fit the theme of shutter island which includes the red and white text giving the same effect as the poster does whichshows what the type of genre is which is thriller/horror. The island behind Leonardo is almost covered which could suggest that everything that happens on the island is kept behind closed doors and that secrets are hidden there. The fog at the bottom of the page could also suggest a mystery. Leonardo looks tough squeezing his fist together with a dark facial expression but he also looks sad too which could foreshadow how he loses himself at the end of the film.