Key Points
Little does he know his whole life is a lie that is being watched by millions. Released in 1998, the one-of-a-kind film Hollywood film a satirical sci-fi psychological comedy-drama about one man living in a fabricated reality concocted by TV producers made an impact on its release, but no one knew quite how prescient it would be..
The prophetic film intricately chronicles the daily life of the eponymous clean-cut insurance salesman, Truman, who is totally unaware that his existence is the subject of a globally televised and ethically precarious show, his family and friends are actors, and the world around him is a manufactured facade..
At the time of The Truman Show's production, reality television was in its infancy, with shows like The Real World leading the way, but it was Dutch format Big Brother, in which ordinary people were made to share a house for a period of weeks, that would make the genre into a worldwide phenomenon...
The collective desire to observe a mundane "reality" is outlined by Christof in the film's opening moments: "We've become bored with watching actors give us phoney emotions While the world he inhabits is in some respects counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself...
Though the rise of reality TV and social media very obviously cemented the film's legacy as one for the ages, Weir still expresses his surprise at The Truman Show's "enduring" relevance: "It seems to appeal to a young audience which is unusual for a film older than they are," he says..
