Shutter Island – was he really crazy?

By the time I had finished watching Shutter Island, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, I was literally psychologically exhausted.

For the entire movie, I sit there trying to figure out what the whole movie is all about – and then when I think I’ve gotten it all figured it, the movie twists again, and I’m there wondering what’s real and what’s not? Unfortunately for those who haven’t watched it, this is going to be a spoiler. So do not continue reading if you don’t want to know.





***spoiler***


Is there really a “right” ending to this movie? Honestly?

Do you really think it was possible to manipulate someone’s brain to make them think that what had happened in past had not happened?? It really gets you thinking..
So was Federal Marshalls Teddy Daniels really mental? Had he really “killed” his wife and had his wife, Dolores, really killed his kids? Was he seriously ill because of that and had he been “hiding from the truth” all this time?

Or had they really tricked him onto the island to make him believe that so that he would stop investigating the island?

Who was the doctor who had been hiding in the cave really? Was it the real Rachel Saldano or was she apart of the “act” too? Was she actually ill too? Or was she speaking the truth – in saying that the doctors on the island would try to make him feel like he was ill.

Was this movie a “create your own ending”? or, did it really have a proper ending?



I think

Teddy Daniels was Leonardo DiCapro’s characters “real name”.
The drugs (aspirin) that he had taken from Dr.Cawley for his migraine, had affected his mentality.
Ted had not killed his wife, nor children for the sake of it.
He played along in order to survive but in the end, he was weakening due to the drugs.
“Chuck” had set him up and was not his real partner.
By the end of the movie, Teddy was still “normal” – hence why he said “Would you rather die as a good man, or live as a bad one?” (or something along those lines) and that’s why he had actually chosen to still call his “partner” Chuck to let them know that he’d rather die than believe what they were trying to make him believe.
He had no way out of the island and was not prepared to be tested on for brain washes.

So now, what about the Code of Four – the note that was found in Rachel’s room? Was that a real note? Considering the Racheal in the cave claimed that she was previously a doctor at the island, why would she have been kept in prison if that had been a real note?

Was there really a number 67?






Tell me what you guys all thought about the movie. If you haven’t watched it, go watch it and come back, read the spoiler and comment!

Has anyone read the book? Tell me what its all about!

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4 Responses to Shutter Island – was he really crazy?

  1. Makeup-world says:

    I watched this movie in theater last night and I would have to agree with you on the movie. Its a mind twisted movie. I love it and still wonder what is the real answer. Good movie.

  2. Minnieme says:

    I agree with you that the movie was good. As I was watching the movie… I was sooo confused and I regretted watching it. Though after the movie, everything started to piece together. This is what I think: Leo (Teddy or Andrew) really loved his wife and couldn’t face the fact that he had killed his wife, because his wife murdered his children. Andrew (his real name) blamed everything on himself and thought he caused the death of his whole family and therefore created an alter ego Teddy. At the end, he came to realize that Teddy wasn’t real and he was really Andrew. He couldn’t face his past and pretended to relapse, so they will preform the lobotomy surgery on him, therefore he will end the suffering. Thats my perspective. i’m interested in hearing others. Man I hated the sound effects, scratching noises, rats and those scary kids.

  3. nat says:

    i loved the movie n the twists :D
    hm i actually saw the movie differently …

    teddy/andrew is actually somewhat psycho..and yes he killed his wife to “help her” after she killed their kids (she asked him to). n after that he just kept on making up his identity/stories to forget that she killed the kids, because he loves her a lot, and he thinks its his fault that the kids died…since he didn’t get his wife any help when she complained.
    anyway in the end… he had to get lobotomy/die as the role play treatment didn’t really work out (or did it?)… but either way, andrew was actually sane in the last moment. he decided to go with the men and pretended that he was still teddy so he can “die as a good man” …instead of dying as the psycho patient andrew cuz he just can’t face the facts

    thats how i interpreted the movie when i watched it anyways

  4. [...] help with explanation as this movie could end up in my “Mystery movies” list just like Shutter Island; which btw, also really f’ed me up and left me feeling mentally ill [...]

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