We love films that make our brains hot. Even more when an unexpected twist grabs us. "Shutter Island" leaves during its denouement with a big questioning about the character of Leonardo DiCaprio. How to interpret the end sentence? We give you our opinion on the matter but for the best details guide check our Shutter Island ending explanations.
Dennis Lehane is an author particularly appreciated by screenwriters in Hollywood. Several of his literary works have appeared on the big screen. One of the best (with Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone ) is undoubtedly Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese. With such a name at the helm, the opposite would have been very unfortunate.
The plot of the feature film resumes that of the book, namely the arrival of marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) on the island of Shutter Island where there is a psychiatric hospital. The police are sent there to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando, one of the prisoners. Accused of murder, her escape is necessarily a source of concern.
To understand how she was able to escape from her cell, a strange clue is found. On a sheet of paper mysterious inscriptions are written. Did she plan a leak or is there a much more disturbing secret behind this case? The marshals will investigate but Teddy will also reconnect with a dark past. His memories and the oppressive atmosphere of the place will make him drift towards the shores of madness.
The opening of Shutter Island is a fog-dominated shot, from which a boat emerges. We enter, with the characters, into a sort of bubble isolated from the rest of the world. It announces almost everything already. This feeling of perdition, here symbolized by the suffocating presence of thick smoke, which will inhabit Teddy during his investigation.
When the tandem sets foot on the island, something is wrong. Impossible to determine what but there is a secret, shared by several characters- except that of Leonardo DiCaprio. The looks of/on Chuck are strange, he seems to have a familiarity with the people he meets.
Starting with this policeman, who watches him struggling to remove his holster from his belt. The man does not seem to be experienced and this will be confirmed later by bringing nothing in particular to the investigation.
Teddy will understand that he is not who he thinks he is. Her real identity is Andrew Laeddis, a man who killed his wife because she drowned their children. In an excess of anger, he took revenge. Teddy is a former police officer turned patient on Shutter Island. Since his arrival, he forgets and then constantly remembers the reason for his presence in the establishment.
His mental state seems difficult to treat so the medical team tried to innovate by trying a blow. A false investigation is staged, with Teddy at the center, to try to make him accept his situation. In case of failure, he will go through the drastic box of the lobotomy. Chuck's behavior was underlined but the doubts were founded because he is Doctor Sheehan and not a cop.
All these revelations are understandable enough because they are explained to the viewer so that he understands the deception. On the other hand, the end of Shutter Island does not cease to question. Sitting on the steps, Teddy and Chuck share one last conversation. The doctor had hopes that his patient has come back to reality but he will quickly understand that he has returned to the role play. The look he gives to signal Doctor Cawley will doom him.
All the ambiguity of this ending is found in this final question. The lucidity that emanates from such a question suggests that the treatment worked and that Teddy is in his head. If he accepts to go on living, his guilt will be too great. Conversely, death can offer him an escape. He gets back to his role one last time, fooling the doctors, for what can be described as suicide.
Shutter Island Ending Explained (2010 Movie: Plot Analysis)