When Does Truman Figure It Out?

[@OcyTaviAh]

The fact that we don’t get to see his escape really cements this for me. We are just like the at home audience, we only know what the actors and producers know. We aren’t actually with Truman on this journey, we’re with the actors and directors and producers.

[@metalmario1231]

he literally escapes at the end of the movie tho

[@OcyTaviAh]

@metalmario1231 we're not with him when he leaves until the crew find him though, we only know things when they do

[@gimligimlass5509]

Wouldn't that make us, the audience, more aligned with... the audience, not the producers and actors?

[@OcyTaviAh]

@@gimligimlass5509 we get to see some more of the behind the scenes stuff, but yes. You'll notice that my comment does say "we are just like the at home audience," and we only see what the cast and crew can. We as viewers may be morally on Truman's side, but we are on the journey with the cast and crew because we only see Truman through their eyes. We don't actually get to know Truman's inner world, just his performance.

[@chipwilliams5854]

@@OcyTaviAhhe escaped, realized he has absolutely no idea how to survive in the real world, gets followed around by fans shouting his name, jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge

[@igniviscos]

I've always interpreted the movie as Truman knows SOMETHING is weird and strange where he is, but he doesn't know what it is or who is in on it. The movie starts with the light falling because that is the moment Truman knows WHAT is going on, its a spotlight so its some sort of entertainment. So he goes to his family and friends to see if anyone will break for him. He questions them and confronts them and sees if they'll break like the girl-that-got-away and his 'father' did. He's hoping that it happens. He starts to go off the rails when he figures out just how insane the lengths they'll go to keep everything together are and when talking to his best friend, I think that look Truman gives is heartbreak. The one person he always thought would be on his side isnt going to break, isnt actually on his side, and doesn't care about him at the very least enough to break script. So he 'ruins' his life to break all the fake relationships and lets them get comfortable with a new routine with nobody in person to watch him, then escapes.

[@MabaseDrifter]

Watching this video I was thinking 'there's no way, why so many scenes where it seems like he's trying to figure things out in that case?' But now I wonder, what if he really is probing everyone? He doesn't know who all is in on it, so he might think the ones closest to him might be just as oblivious as he was. He wants them to not be in on it, he wants to bring them with him. But in the end it turns out that it really was The Truman Show, and everyone else really was in on it... except for her.

[@Mehwhatevr]

yeah and I don't think he was digging the hole in that scene. I think he always does the gardening.

[@KairuHakubi]

I think you've nailed it.. there's a definite moment where he's using the thrill of finding out the truth to cover over the nagging itch of "who actually am I?," and I think he was assuming that, at any point, he could break character and they'd end the show, he just wanted to see how far it would go. And once he realized oh, they are _trapping_ me here... he has a clear moment of dread and panic. Like everybody here cares more about their job than they do about *me.* That, plus when he realizes the SCOPE of it. I think for a hot minute, he thought it was a prank show, a reality show, something like that (even though he's been raised on old TV so he might not know the concept). That most people around him were normal, with only a few plants. The more he found out, the more messed up it becomes. Then when he hits that wall and just starts laughing, it's like... yeah that's how we'd react if we only just found out.

[@AllBlackAirpods]

5:06 “you son of a bitch…don’t do this to me…don’t you tell me you’re in on it too…please” with just the eyes is crazy acting

[@Dude-oy9dl]

Some of Jim's best.

[@EndoftheBeginning17]

@@Dude-oy9dl I remember reading about a year and bit prior that Jim was really looking for a dramatic role to get into to get away from being typecast as the kooky comedian and to show case his dramatic acting skills, then he landed this drama and body was it was well done, excellent photography, director that knew what to get out of his actors for each shot, excellent all around performances

[@Vic-mj4ts]

i always thought him saying the catchphrase like that at the end was his "final reveal". It feels like the sort of line he would have been fed as a kid via "say goodbye to the neighbors son!" and then as he grew up one day someone prompted him to say it and he did but he realized fully that he was being prompted to say it to some unknown audience and his mental journey to reality began (probably as an early teen). Hes not only saying it as a sincere goodbye to fans but as a way to scare the people in charge by revealing just HOW LONG hes been putting on a performance.

[@PenitusVox]

There definitely does seem to be some sort of acknowledgement of it in that moment. There are certain phrases that all of us tend to say but in that exit he seems to know that it's specifically his *catchphrase*. I feel like, if we were to follow him through the rest of his life, he would NEVER say those exact words ever again.

[@Loreweavver]

Sometimes I like to imagine that he and Ed Harris's character were in on it together to create the best series finale ever. If not Harris than some other higher up producing deus ex machina when called for.

[@par_z_val7745]

I think he knew instinctively, the first scene is him talking to the Mirror like he's talking to an audience, his way of saying goodbye, he always knew instinctively he was being watched

[@saucevc8353]

I think he was just taught to do that. He was raised to be a TV star, so he was probably encouraged to talk to himself as much as possible to raise entertainment value. Just like his catchphrase.

[@MichaelMerrittCT]

If he doesn't know all along, then I think the first mirror scene is just him goofing off. The second mirror scene if definitely him talking to the producers, and they're oblivious to it. If anything, the movie goes from him being oblivious to 2/3 of the way the production staff being oblivious to the fact that he knows.

[@EndoftheBeginning17]

Let's not forget that cameras were everywhere all the time. He wouldn't be able to get away from them and he couldn't have conversations with just anyone, just with the principals, not the extras and not the crew. There would constantly be these weird happenstances of people knowing his name without him ever saying it, people gawking at him etc. I found a video showing when the hole was found and it is in the same spot as where Truman is digging, so it's probable that he knew and had dug the hole some time prior. This makes the movie not about his discovery but about how to execute his escape without raising suspicions

[@AutumnBlessed]

I just watched the Lie to You scene with Marlon and Truman, and Marlon's face is almost dripping with guilt. This must be how Truman knows that Marlon is in on it.

[@Dude-oy9dl]

Marlin seems more like a sociopath than any of the rest of them. I don't know he gives me Todd from Breaking Bad vibes.

[@strawberrylotlizard]

​@@Dude-oy9dlno, there were cut scenes with him behind the scenes in the movie talking to a therapist because of how torn up. He felt he hated doing it

[@AutumnBlessed]

@@Dude-oy9dl I think that the reality of the situation was dawning on Marlon, but he was in too deep to get out. And how could he explain this whole mess to Truman without driving Truman crazy?

[@Khajitxi]

⁠@@Dude-oy9dlMarlin’s vacations were rehab since he was doing drugs to cope with the guilt.

[@d-m.n_--2]

For me there is a C story throughout the movie talking about the developments of Truman's fear of water... and why they did it. He planned to run away for a long time, but the only way out was across the water. They worked hard to psychologically twist him into being afraid of the only door that let him escape, but he never stopped trying to find another way. I agree he dug the hole before the movie started, but I also believe that he did it with the intent of just leaving the town he grew up in and never looking back. Then he learns the truth about the lies and that pushes him to overcome his cultivated fear, and carry on with the plan he has had most of his life; just with a different perspective.

[@rottensquid]

I think you're right. It doesn't make sense that he's aware just ten minutes in that he was being constantly watched. He instinctively knew something weird was going on, but it was more of an existential, unfocused suspicion. The movie is about him learning how far the false reality extended. He wouldn't be motivated to dig the hole until he realized how trapped he truly was. And he didn't know that till he got past the bridge and was captured by those wranglers.

[@normietwiceremoved]

The Truman Show is one of those movies which I cannot fault. It's essentially a 10 for me. It seems so unbelievably well planned out and executed I can just watch it a thousand times.

[@niceguy191]

What's "the" hole he's digging? I've always thought he knew something was up before the film starts, but only figures out more concretely what that is during the course of the film. He reveals his doubts to too many people if he already knew the full extent.

[@GeorgeDCowley]

The one he escaped through in the final act, or so the theory goes.

[@brynniefresh9746]

i believe ur right

[@GeorgeDCowley]

His gardening might have explained that he _could_ dig the hole, even inconspicuously.

[@MyThinThighs]

Truman digging a hole to escape while still 'probing' the town to see how far they'll go to keep him there by trying to leave by ferry plane and car feels like too much forethought. I think he started digging the hole after his failed attempts to leave normally.

[@lynbattersby]

I teach this film twice a year to Year 9s and Year 11s. Every year, I find new clues and readings. This year, I came to the realisation that he knows and believes from the moment Silvia/Lauren tells him. Suddenly, the hole digging became obvious. One of the most amazing readings, though, came from my student, who said, "I think that the light falling is symbolic, because it foreshadows that a star (Truman) is about to fall. I just stood, blinking at her, because - of course!

[@TimTom]

I knew I recognized that voice! I was a huge fan of your videos back in the day, and I’m stoked that I found my way back. Keep up the great work!

[@Dethneko]

I've only seen the movie a few times, but I recall several flashback scenes where people are seemingly trying to tell him and get their own 5 minutes of fame. But if I had to pick a point where Truman truly begin to question, it would have to be in high school when the girl is taken away and he's told she's moving to Fiji. She tells him it's fake, and it seems to be glossed over, but we also see throughout the film that he never forgot her. He may not have understood then, but when the light fell at the start of the movie, it seems to have jump-started the conspiracy theory that was implanted long ago, and the cast probably thought they had suppressed but good. The radio glitch shortly after likely only reaffirmed his notions. But the final straw before we really kick it into high gear is when he sees his dad, and sees him get carried away, and probably catching the resting area behind the elevator walls. It's a lot going on, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that all happen before he's working in the garden? So you may be right, by the time we see him in the garden, he at least knows enough to begin hatching an escape plan. The rest of the movie is him trying to gather clues while also hiding what he knows, but he does still end up going further and further off the deep end. I don't think he knows knows when working in the garden, I don't think he figures that out until the cop calls him Truman (at the earliest), but he at least knows more than enough to know his world is falling apart around him. Perhaps I should watch it a few times, and see how much of this post I also remember, to see how right or wrong I am.

[@KairuHakubi]

you just reminded me about his father.. that part of the movie kinda hits a dead end, doesn't it. Because how would his dad, who was taken off the show for refusing to lie to him, agree to lie to him? how would they TRUST him under any circumstance? and what does he tell Truman? we don't get to see any of that.

[@rottensquid]

I think it's common when you watch a movie or read a book too many times, where you've juiced it for all it's got, but you still want more. That's where fan theories can come into play. Grant Morrison did this with The Killing Joke graphic novel, desperately trying to find more story. But this fan canon isn't in the text, or even the subtext, of the story itself. It's a mirage from staring too long, looking for more and more clues to the deeper meaning. The reason for that scene wasn't to indicate he's digging the hole to escape, it's just to set up the idea that he'd know where to dig later, once he realizes what he'll have to do to escape.

[@solrac4512]

Yeah this theory doesn’t make much sense. The hole was made in the basement when he moved in there. Why would he start the hole in the garden and end in the basement???

[@SolidBobert]

I don't buy it. He subjected his escape to so much unnecessary scrutiny by making increasingly wild attempts to pull back the veil. The only way that would make any sense is if he had someone else helping him set up the final escape and was keeping everyone else distracted. It would have been infinitely easier for him to get out if they thought he was completely in the dark and then one day he was simply gone. I suppose you could make the argument that the purpose was to make the production look foolish and get his revenge on live TV, but I think that implies a level of awareness of how the world "should" be that wouldn't be possible for someone that grew up in a completely controlled environment, and would also have to mean that the seeds of the plan were planted at an exceedingly young age.

[@idlerwheel]

Is it possible that this is Plato’s allegory of the cave and that even tho he has only ever known symbols divorced from reality, those symbols became the tools he would utilize to free himself?

[@ronaldharding494]

I think this interpretation makes sense if he does not suspect those closest to him are in on it. So, this may suggest that Truman has some sense that things aren't right in his town. Maybe he's found the hidden camera's before and didn't let on. Probably suspects the government, the town leadership, or something along those lines of being responsible for a conspiracy to trap multiple people not just himself. In this variation of the theory, Truman may believe or even just hope, that Marlin is a prisoner like him. This explains that heartbreaking look in the moment where he seems to convince himself that it's not the case and even his best friend is a part of the deception. His antics leading up to the mistake is a play from Truman to sus out the difference between prisoner and jailer. He didn't yet understand that he was the only prisoner and had grand ambitions of bringing people he cared about with him on his escape.

[@Greevheattak]

Well, there is a deleted scene if i am not mistaken where Marlon of all people actually FINDS Truman during the search and he stares at him for a solid minute before looking away and going with the others shouting "TRUMAN WHERE ARE YOU?"

[@walaraubo]

@@ronaldharding494 oh that actually closes that loophole for me. Great great point

[@alexanderhamilton876]

I think overanakyzing the film on its surface level premise that he is the unwitting star of a reality TV show can cause one to miss the point entirely. The plot is symbolic. The story is about a man who starts to question his choices in life until he realizes they weren't choices at all. The movie is about social engineering, which we all experience and if you dare to follow your own path in a way that doesn't conform, you suddenly become acutely aware that everyone around you is watching and steering you toward the socially acceptable path. The wife ensuring he does not act on a less practical but more passionate relationship, the mother working with the wife and the father trying to warn him because he himself was once in his own version of "The Truman Show". Truman had been planning his escape from this life he had become trapped in for a long time, but it's only when he started to act on it that he realized everyone around him would try to stop him at all costs, because of "the director", which I would interpret as all the tools of social engineering that have traditionally reinforced only one acceptable path in life: religion, schools, employers, the media, etc. If you've ever done this in real life; questioned your "picture perfect life", your stable career, marriage, you would see that your wife, your mother, your best friend, etc. would just become pawns of a system designed to keep you in a predetermined state; a cog in the wheel. So yes I think he was definitely planning his escape in the same way everyone who feels trapped in a life that was created for them does. Not in some ingenius heist like fashion, but in a major existential breakdown where he ultimately said f it and walked away. He always could. He wasn't trapped. He just felt trapped because of all the pressure everyone put on him. What he realized is that everyone around him were "actors" fulfilling the role they were supposed to play. And if Truman questioned his role, then their whole world collapsed. T The older I get, the more eery this film becomes.

[@bryanmcdonald4351]

That’s a pretty solid theory. I never thought that he dug the hole out of the basement. I thought he found an access tunnel that came up under his yard

[@nicholastosoni707]

I have a copy of the script book _literally on hand right now._ Interestingly enuf, the script only specifies that he's using a lawnmower...which means that, *possibly,* Jim Carrey himself worked out that Truman ought to be covertly gardening/digging the hole.

[@solrac4512]

What’s so solid about it?? He moved into the basement after his wife left him. The home was in the basement not the garden

[@bryanmcdonald4351]

@ I just meant that his overall theory of Truman planning his escape the entire time was valid

[@solrac4512]

@@bryanmcdonald4351 yeah what’s so solid about it?

[@Rachel-xu4br]

It makes sense he'd always be suspicious, or know at least something is going on. After all, at the beginning of the film the Sirius star ends up falling and throughout the film, all these little things occur that lead up to the end. He got confirmation during the films time line, but before that, he might have always had his suspicions, just no confirmation. There's no way he was completely in the dark prior to the start of the film if all these little accidents were occurring over the years. Which they did imply happen, for example, with the compilation of clips of fans trying to intervene and tell Truman he was on TV. With all that happening over the years, there's no way he was at least suspicious.

[@SandyCheeks1896]

5:06 I’m not trying to be pedantic or come off as superior but I love this facial expression because it’s the exact opposite of recognition. It’s the sudden awareness that you do not know the person in front of you. It’s the deepest narrative satisfaction you can often draw from a horror movie or thriller and it comes from this Jim Carrey movie. It’s so good.

[@FreyaEinde]

I think he can’t possibly know before the light drop because reality is only what we personally have experienced but he’s unhappy and he suspects, far more importantly what leads Truman to wanting to leave is that he’s always wanted to leave ever since he was a kid. What lets him in on anything being bizarre is that the entirety of his world is stopping him from doing that which is more obvious than any of us get in real life where we convince ourselves that our connections and responsibilities are the real things holding us back from leaving unhappy situations to pursue our interests, the movie is fun because in fact the world is against this man and he keeps going anyway.

[@lampostsamurai2518]

In a lot of abusive upbringing, one can know something is wrong without knowing what that something is. It may well be that Truman is aware something is wrong without knowing what is wrong until the light falls, and he realizes the star is missing, at which point the glamor falls off and he stays trying to sus out who knows, only to realize he's the only one who didn't.

[@invalidopinion5384]

We see lots of suspicious things in the flashback sequences. It's easy to see how Truman may have brushed off this or that slip up as a child, but as an adult he is definitely suspicious. The whole Sylvia episode was definitely enough for him to figure out something is up. Like anyone else however, he would've second guessed himself. He evidently trusted some of the people around him still (he grew up with them after all), and they did everything they could to reassure him that everything was normal. I think the light is the straw that broke the camels back, the thing that cemented his suspicions, but it definitely wasn't the start of them. He obviously didn't have the full picture at any point in the movie, but he's not dumb enough to miss all the weird stuff in the flashbacks even before the light drops. His desire to explore the world is a powerful motivator, but it is not his biggest motivation to leave. His fear of drowning has more effect on his behaviour as we see. It's arguable that without the fantasy of Sylvia in Fiji, he'd have given up on that dream that everyone around him (who he still trusted at the time) were telling him to give up on. It's only when he completely loses all trust in those around him (cemented by his "dad" being revealed to have never drowned at all) that he finally overcomes his fear of drowning. In other words, the total confirmation of his lifelong suspicions are the main reason he leaves, in particular the realisation that nothing in his life was real so nothing is tying him down.

[@FreyaEinde]

@@lampostsamurai2518 I agree with that, im not saying he doesn't suspect. However suspecting your sense of reality is off is different from subverting the constraints of your environment. But also knowing is not the catalyst that begins his need for escape. It's been in him all along and constantly needed to be suppressed to keep him put.

[@wiiseeyou]

The Truman Show is very close to a story about a person suffering from a manic depressive episode believing he's at the center of a grand conspiracy, but then turns out he really is and everyone around him really are lying... Would be interesting to see a version of the story where that part is left to the audience to decide. Digging a tunnel in your backyard is a pretty innocent thing to prepare. Very useful thing to have in an escape and easily filled back up if it's all in your mind. But digging a tunnel is a pretty unreasonable thing to do in a normal state of mind. Would have loved to see a version where we don't really know if it's all a lie or not.

[@GeorgeDCowley]

That makes me think of 23 Cloverfield Lane, though in that, we do find out.

[@TacoMan99]

That would make a great psychological/mystery, a look into that mindset in a more grounded and personal sense. I would watch that.

[@CartoonCarton]

I love this. The Truman show is so disturbingly good.

[@PeterCleff]

I'm so glad I found this channel. Jim Carrie is genuinely one of the best performers in the history of cinima. Great observations in here👌👌

[@normietwiceremoved]

You gotta change that thumbnail for "What The Truman Show Reveals About Its Characters..." This video is performing so much better and I felt like clicking it because of the thumbnail.

[@ajw20]

That is a crazy different way to watch the film. Truman isn’t oboist, but rather he is playing EVERYONE. That flips the narrative on his head! This only proves how much this film is a work of art

[@brynniefresh9746]

bro do you obtuse? oboist is someone who plays the oboe lmfao

[@ajw20]

@@brynniefresh9746 I meant to say oblivious lol

[@FizzleFX]

7:00 actually people use what they know and he probably did gardening and later used that knowledge about this spot (and it's soft earth

[@Mr.Stevens-xh1zm]

I never thought he was digging the hole, that was mind blowing. Meryl saying you missed a spot might have been her playfully suggesting that he was getting close to where a camera was as she looked to his left.

[@pvanukoff]

5:25 Excellent acting by Jim Carrey - I agree, this is when he knows "yeah even Marlin is in on it too". I've given that exact look to people before when I realized they've been lying to me about something the whole time.

[@PJSproductions97]

I'm not convinced that he's digging the hole at the beginning. That would be a man-sized hole with a garden trowel, certainly people would have noticed earlier if he was using a whole shovel, and going in from the outside the hole would have been noticed from another angle. I interpret that more that he is used to that area of Earth though, so he would know where to aim when he's digging out.

[@YeetSpace]

Well but that's the thing, all of the angles we see in he movie are meant to be like in universe, meaning the angles we see are the same angle everyone else sees, so him sitting like that in front o the camera at the garden doesn't make sense, someone should've cut to another angle, UNLESS he found a spot that doesn't have cams and no-one could put one up to get that angle without raising his suspicion that were coming into the discussion with understanding he has of the situation, more than what is let on by Truman himself throughout the movie to his captors

[@YeetSpace]

I agree on the spot thing tho too, i just think he DEF knew something was wrong enough to have been specifically there for that, but it's just an insanely long-con

[@zdrident]

I think you are wrong that Truman is digging the hole in that gardening scene. I believe that scene is our Chekovs gun for later. It shows Truman digging in the front yard, while also showing us the chef's pal that leads to the climactic moment when all of Truman's suspicions are confirmed beyond any doubt. This is a well crafted and subtle scene where important pieces of the climax are put into the viewers mind.

[@froloffanton]

My friend taped this on VHS when we were kids and we liked Jim Carrey films. He didn't catch the first five to ten minutes of the intro, so the whole movie turned into a thriller where you start to question if Truman is losing his sanity. To me, the movie worked even better that way.

[@feliciab2]

That is so cool, I hadn't thought about that before but now you point it out I can't unsee it.

[@Slywyn]

This movie has always stood as an example of how good of an ACTOR Jim Carrey is. Yes, he's an amazing comedian, everyone's always known that. But he's a great ACTOR too, and that's something too many people gloss over.

[@BMoney8600]

I took all the video production classes at my high school. I saw a “The Truman Show” poster along with other movie posters. The poster for “The Truman Show” stuck out to me like a sore thumb. I haven’t heard of it and I looked it up and watched it on Netflix. I don’t regret watching it whatsoever. Such a good movie! Man I love it!

[@keaton718]

If he knew for sure he would have left sooner. Like really tried to leave. The first time he ever properly tried to leave was during the movie, no one could even fathom him getting onto the bus before he decided to do it. They subtly tried to keep him to stay, made him scared of water, always told him that the world wasn' worth seeing. But they never actively prevented him from leaving until the events of the movie. There's no way he "knew" beyond a sense that something was odd about his life.

[@maxstone3779]

I didn't like this idea at first. But the more I think about it, the more it grows on me. Trueman is testing the world as part of the escape plan to see how far he has to run. And maybe for confirmation. Maybe he thought others were trapped too. That he had to rescue them as well. But the "I would never lie to you" scene hits hard because he now knows, he is alone. There is no one else to save.

[@InimicalWit]

2:47 Speaking of "open to interpretation" - Does your hat say: "Boing", "Bing" or "Being"? And Thank you for giving me an excuse to put this question in a comment 💙💙

[@nealjroberts4050]

The raised o is typically an ordinal or degree symbol so we have the additional interpretation of _B ordinal/ordinate ing_ or _B degree ing_

[@Eighthplanetglass]

This is why I love video essays. Great points.. I loved it

[@DKPGames]

I think it’s just establishing he would know how to dig because he did gardening stuff, that’s the whole point of act 1 in most movies. Establishing the plot and characters

[@erimiya.mp4]

first time i watched this movie i stayed up for hours cause something about it didnt make sense to me, and i also ended up having the eureka moment, realizing he's digging the hole at the start like, thats way too much dirt to get through in what, a few hours? at most? he also magically gets over his fear of water and sails into the sea, and manages to perfectly not get caught on ANY of the cameras in his basement? way too much of a writer oversight for it to not be intentional awesome video :3

[@iluvSchleeping]

I think it’s confirmed in his mind when his best friend says, “if everyone’s in on it, I’d have to be in on it too.” He immediately goes back to “normal” but is planning his escape.

[@spencersutherland4680]

"He's digging.. the hole. He's Digging. The Hole." got me

[@bryan.chamberlin]

I think this take is spot on! I always noticed him digging in the garden at the beginning as a bit weird, but didn’t know why! Us as the audience first see him at the catalyst of what we all think is him starting to figure it out. Truth is is that we saw the Real Truman show that he put on for All of us! Love it ^_^

[@theragingrodent__]

I think way too much about how The Truman Show would go down in the real world. I think the "main character" would probably end up being insanely narcissistic; being used to opportunities contriving themselves in front of them. They'd also be very coddled, probably incapable of functioning in the real world because they would always be sheltered from any kind of "distasteful" dangers or risks. Its also interesting to think that the vocabulary and worldview of such a person would probably be limited to keep it PG.

[@teddyhh9947]

I enjoy the story of Truman quite alot. To me it seemed by the time the movie takes place he had long figured out something was wrong, but had not yet taken the choice to leave on what was admittantly an arduous journey, with no guarantees it would get better. The audience themselves are not even sure if Truman ever got a better life because of his decision to leave, and im far from confident i myself would have been strong-willed enough to take the choice he did.

[@Milbrandt]

I've only seen this movie twice, and only once in recent years. I randomly came across this video and it made me want to rewatch it with this hypothesis in mind. Whether it's true or not is secondary.

[@RyanKarolak]

That is a really interesting take and I really like that idea. Now that you mention it, I can see Truman having at least being suspicious, if not knowing, the whole time. I'll need to rewatch the movie again with that assumption.

[@theonetruefusion8533]

"oh wow cool to see somebody passionate about an old movie" "WHAT"

[@MrHitchey]

This made me think that yes, Truman has known for a while and he is testing to see who’s in on it and who else is unaware. He may think his best friend is also in this experiment. That is until the “I would never lie to you” scene. And he realizes he’s the only one.

[@Moonbeam143]

I never thought about the part about him gardening before. That's a pretty great detail.

[@danieldishon688]

The fact that he has a collage photo of the girl he fell for once who was taken to 'fiji' at the films start, and makes a scene of acting casual in the office just to tear an innocuous piece of paper off a magazine, I think shows he definitely knows something is up and has known some kind of conspiracy exist around him for a long time, because he doesn't trust anyone, not his friend and not his coworkers, and definitely not his wife who the studio most brazenly shoved into his life against his will. The one thing he knew that was outside of whatever conspiracy was ruling his life was a girl he was saw who tried to tell him something who at first tried saying 'I'm not supposed to talk to you'. A girl who was wearing things that hinted at how she was an activist there to save him and not a regular part of the cast. I think the girl was the first true inciting incident that told him he is in a cage of some sort. The studio light though, thats named after a star was maybe the first thing to let him contextualize the conspiracy in the form of actors and a television set.....maybe. unless his catchphrase really was fabricated because he's known for a long time. But it's after the the studio light he starts making his most brazen test against all of the 'extras' on set, realizing they won't react even if tries to get their attention, and they will deliberately stop for him and not make a further scene of him stopping traffic.

[@EmonEconomist]

Every time I see that spotlight fall I think, "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away..." Though I suppose it's a little too big for that. Put it in the boot of your car, maybe.

[@ContinuedOak]

I feel like this video only starts to talk about how he knew, it be nice to see a deeper dive into showing more scene that’s confirm it

[@Jugokazooie]

I like your analysis He both had so many suspicions, prepared and confirmed

[@fgoindarkg]

The scene is an occult reference to the real Truman as a professional gardener who really digs "grass".

[@deso2]

wow, ive seen this movie a few times and never even taken that perspective. Great video

[@duncanmcdevitt7406]

I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this. Thank you.

[@oddalibi]

I am actually glad I found this, because, I’d say that before watching this I thought of the gardening scene as “Nice cheeks Jim Carrey” but I will never look at it the same. It now feels like it makes so much sense why instead of standing up and turning around, he sat there on the ground straining his neck, it was to cover the hole.

[@Loreweavver]

The fact that everyone is an actor playing parts in our real world makes it possible to believe that everyone, including Truman, was in on it. That at some point he learned as a child and he agreed to play along. It could have always been a long con on the audience.

[@the1ucidone]

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. It's like The Shawshank Redemption or The Count of Monte Cristo. Truman is imprisoned, from birth to middle age. At some point he figures out he's trapped and so he plans his escape, long before the film has even began. It's similar to why slavery, imprisonment, or false knowledge doesn't last forever. The human mind must be free and it will stop at nothing to live by it's own rules. By any means necessary.

[@dancinswords]

I was fully confident that this was clickbait, in fact I clicked because it was so brazen (and short), but you actually made the point well. It's still stretching at least the _implication_ of "figure it out" because there's no reason to think he figured out The Truth, but he could've basically had a secret insane (paranoid) hobby of digging an escape hole because the world was keeping him from leaving his town

[@hansdablob4741]

would you look at that i accidentally stumbled across my favorite producer of my favorite show while actuallt being interested in the video, how neat!.

[@lewisjones1915]

Sequel movie or book would have been so interesting. Seeing him confronting the company and his parents for selling him into slavery.

[@Tutel-j3j]

I like frogs

[@ofanichan]

BASEDBASEDBASEDBASED

[@thesurvivorssanctuary6561]

I like frogs. I like princes. Beware should the two ever cross. And God save you should the Lion ever be a King!

[@DangerDodo-h2z]

I hate frogs 😡

[@MrGenedancingmachine]

I walked out of the cinema after going to see this on my own....first thing I did when I got out was to instinctively look at all the lampposts and poles for imaginary cameras watching me

[@nicholastosoni707]

Sometimes I get into this mode of thinking as well. Then I stop and think, "Who would even _watch_ this crap?"

[@tigdakid]

I’ve only watch this film once or twice and your theory makes perfect sense to me

[@pdonettes]

Man, I'm going to need some time to process this!

[@Tedwardy]

Favorite movie. Love this take.

[@theradicalginger3060]

The YT algorithm for some great reason blessed me with your Truman videos and you got an immediate subscription from me I've seen it but until literally right now watching your take/spin on it which I honestly agree with like 100 most of it is still up for some kind of interpretation but I think that makes movies like this amazing there is no 1 true definitive way to look at it but there is huge solid grounds for an overall thematic to the movie and I'm now realizing it's one of my all time favorite movies I gotta watch it again very soon

[@travisleabeck2572]

Since my awakening finally kicked into high gear recently, I've been dying to go back and be watch this movie when the time felt right. I am literally Truman under this interpretation. I've played as both unaware and unawake at multiple points in my life. But I always knew that those moments were just part of the scripture that me and the most high wrote for myself a long time ago. They never thought that I was in on the joke

[@Squishy876]

I always thought that subconsciously he knew and was acting accordingly. He tested himself to see if he would be able to get out to sea or fly and seeing it was hard for him came up with the hole.

[@jeffreygraham8580]

This was the way I understood the show on the first watch lmao I thought that’s how we were supposed to understand it.

[@Emymagdalena]

NOOOO but this is the best interpretation of the movie, I have to go watch it again right now

[@brevin1234-e3r]

Great video! This is my favorite movie, so I love being recommended theories and reviews of it! That being said, I’m not sure the gardening scene shows enough to convince me that he’s digging his escape route. Of course, that’s what makes it a theory rather than a fact lol. I think maybe it was inspiration for his plan that he executed later, rather than him actually making a step in his plan. I’d love a counterpoint. This genuinely intrigues me a lot and I’m likely gonna rewatch it soon because of this video!

[@MisterMoccasin]

I think the TRUE inciting incident in Trumans life is meeting Sylvia. It's clear that he's been planning well before the movie to go to Fiji because of the photo he's reconstructed of her in secret. So he definitely knows something has been happening and keeps his true thoughts to himself, but I think it's clear from the morning the light falls that he puts all of the pieces together. He wouldn't have known the extent of the lie before that incident.

[@ceebrupt]

Oh wow I'd never considered that before!

[@laytonspuzzle]

I prefer the idea that he doesn't start to know until later in the film. If Truman really was faking it from the start, then later moments in the film would have to be his mask "slipping". Except, if he's so wired in from the start, his mask shouldn't slip in the first place, and he shouldn't need all those moments of realization and testing the waters before he gets out of there...

[@stephanrobert5593]

What makes this even more convincing, we forget that he's an adult in the movie, maybe his plan was years in the making

[@philipajfry]

It's pretty obvious. Even in flashbacks to highschool/college, his interaction with Sylvia is jarring. The manufactured feeling of the world isn't convincing enough. He "suspected" things in his teens and probably grappled with thinking he's insane. But things are so poorly veiled throughout the movie we can assume a lot of other insane and inexplicable things have happened to him in the past. And indeed, the extra popping in his home during christmas, the construction on the beach... when we see him in the movie, he's long past suspicion.

[@shawbag11]

I think its impossible to have lived as long as he has in a environment like that and not be at least somewhat suspicious

[@theragingrodent__]

Well he was also born into that environment, so it's all he really knows.

[@nicholasbrown2498]

I've watched Terminator 2 the same amount of time and I'm on year 2 of my break going to put it in around Christmas.

[@mehukattti]

omg Truman is literally me

[@Zed-fq3lj]

good points made here 🤔

[@SomebodyOnTheInternet98]

Perhaps Truman comes to awareness as the film starts?

[@adrianscott4288]

I'm not sure i entirely buy your theory, but it's a good one nonetheless! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch Truman Show again...

[@goodlookingcorpse]

I've never watched the Truman Show, but I have put it on for other people while I secretly watch them through a hidden camera.

[@capitalofcambrom]

I think Truman suspected that something was off but that's not the same thing as having "figured it out"

[@pocoapoco2]

Or maybe when the stage light falls near him is when he figures out what is going on.

[@TheMightyPika]

This is now my headcanon

[@megatronjenkins2473]

One of my favorite Jim Carrey movies!

[@eewalktub8907]

It doesn’t really make sense that all these mistakes would only now be happening to tip him off. A performance this large is logistically impossible and mistakes are inevitable. It could be from an early age he began to notice things and kept it to himself and all this time he’s been hiding what he knows. Maybe as revenge for his dad’s “death” or, if he suspects what is really happening, as a spite towards the producers

[@fgoindarkg]

I introduced my small town insurance agent (a lovely young woman) to this film. I never saw her again.

[@midnightraver666]

Well, time to go watch the Truman show again

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

So, if he has known, since at least the start of the movie, is it possible that his catch phrases and quirks are also all intentional, to make him seem more predictable, and also as secret exploit, jab/ way of mocking everyone, because he realizes how simple minded everyone is? I mean, when you start to push everyone, they seem a bit numb - not being able to work out how to drive a but with a manual transmission, or function in a hospital, without endangering lives, etc. If I think about it, I can kinda picture the movie as a kinda final chapter in a book, where he's worked pretty much everything out, but he hasn't figured out why, and it's just about those last pieces falling into place.

[@radfoxuk8113]

I like the idea that he has known for years, but only starts doing stuff about it when he realises that maintenance and product placement, means they are losing viewers, that funding is down... That the relatively idyllic life he had lived, was ending, and having to deal with that, like a monk who has spent decades in a remote monastery, having a crisis of faith, and going from planning their leaving, their return to modern life, to starting to act out getting manic as they come to terms with what that actually means. Only to finally make it back to civilisation, that first touch of modern life, that relief.

[@radfoxuk8113]

That the set is falling apart, major parts of the set are not being maintained, the product placement for worse and worse products as time goes on, meaning that the time slot for the show is moving further from 'prime time', and becoming more and more blatant, the way that the actors and the behind the scenes parts of the set are not well hidden anymore. He can no longer fool himself, his suspension of disbelief is failing, he HAS to get out, it's no longer aa choice, something for the future, it has become urgent.

[@kailomonkey]

And that's why the movie's called The Truman Show. Because it's HIS show while trying to escape.

[@CaptainWizard3000]

Seeing this around the same time I am getting A.I. Safety videos in feed is honestly a little disconcerting. 😅

[@leszekwolkowski9856]

You should rewatch the video AGAIN asap, because NOW, having revealed this theory, you must now determine who, if any, from the rest of the peeps in the movie suspected that Truman suspected/already knew.

[@JeanneFeisont]

I disagree as another avid Truman Show watcher. He was probably digging that hole to escape his life and his marriage, to slip away in the night and head to Fiji or wherever- It just happens to work well for his purposes later

[@davemills7717]

Good catch never realized that!

[@Pouroneoutfor50Cent]

I like this theory