Inception and Shutter Island - Thematic Similarities

Introduction

To understand the themes behind each of these films one must have seen them because otherwise, we would have to narrate the two stories all over again. One will undoubtedly agree that at least one of these mind-bending thrillers of 2010, Inception, is intriguing and a masterpiece by its rite. Its ok to choose to settle for Shutter Island as amazing which is closely related to the earlier especially examining the main characters and their plight. These two films are somewhat unusual in the way they shed light on how we view culture and human nature as changing and reality versus appearances among other emergent themes. But first, a quick refresher of the main plot of the two films

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The Plot of Inception

In Inception, the main protagonist is a man whose wife dies, and he gets convinced it was his fault. He had failed to notice the changes she had been going through, and he felt partly responsible for the insanity which killed her. Unable to live with the guilt, he slowly begins to delve into a fantasy world. Despite the best efforts by people around him to pull him out, he defiantly refuses to leave his mythical world causing harm to others in the process. In the end, he appears to let it go of his fantasy, but towards the end, it seems like this is part of another dream.

The Plot of Shutter Island

Shutter Island, on the other hand, presents what at first seems to be a man lost on an island. Then we learn that it is the last resort of a psychiatrist to save his mental patient from a mythical jail of his creation. Like the character in Inception, this is also distraught over his wife's murder which he committed. We also learn that he killed her because she had killed their children which he could have stopped had he noticed signs that she was going insane. So in a sense, this man felt responsible for the unfortunate turn of events too. Again like the Inception character, he keeps reverting to his insanity just when it seems like he is well again. The last scene, however, he willingly agrees to severe lobotomy.

Appearance vs. Reality in Both Films

With both films, the theme of appearance versus reality is majorly evident. In both, the line between what is real and fantasy gets shown as thin and blurred. There is no apparent distinction between the mythical world and ours, and one has to stop and ask themselves whether anything these two characters say has hidden meaning.

The hazards of delving into fantasy and the mythical world to escape reality and consequently insanity are self-evident in both pieces. Now, each of these characters could have chosen to face the hard truths about their present reality after the loss of their loved ones, but instead, they decide to remain in limbo leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. They felt their pain was too great to deal with and retreated to a perfect world of their own making resisting any external force to pull them out.

Adverse effects of grief and feelings of remorse are also some of the themes present in both films. Both protagonists felt responsible for the loss of their loved ones the guilt of which drove them completely insane. They choose not to deal with the pain, but when they think they are in control of their mythical space, they fall in too deep that they can hardly tell what is real anymore. This makes them a danger to themselves and those closest to them.

Conclusion

Whether or not Inception was also inspired by the same story as Shutter Island remains but a speculation even though it would perfect sense seeing as the characters and themes are so closely related. The sudden twist at the end of Inception leaves a lot to be desired, unlike Shutter Island which departs from its novel wit pretty much the same uncertain ending.