Shutter Island caused Panic Attack (spoiler alert)

reply to post by bringthelight


The more I read your posts, the more I feel like I know you. I seriously thought this exact same thing. Me and a friend were actually just talking about it, and I told him Scorsese had the opportunity to psychologically mess up a large portion of the U.S. All he had to do was change the ending. If he had taken out his flashback of his wife, and ended the movie in ambiguity - the audience would have went mad, desperate to know the truth. It is a good thing he added the twist, because no twist, would have been the biggest twist of all.

I just watched this by myself just now, and let me just say I didn't believe he was crazy at first. I thought the doctors successfully tricked him into thinking he was mad and at the end when DiCaprio said that line, the partner felt extremely bad for what he had done. When I read an explanation though, it was hard to accept. The character of Teddy was one I felt connected to throughout the movie and him being told he was crazy, I felt like I lost a lot of things I thought I knew. This definitely made me think in the end.. "What if this is me..? What if i'm creating an alternate universe for myself too..?" I didn't have the panic reaction you did, but I did sort of freak out fr a little bit with different ideas. Despite what many people have said, this was a great movie, one that really drags you in and has you feel like you're put into the situation.

originally posted by: bringthelight
****spoiler alert****
I just got home from seeing this movie with my girlfriend...all i can say is wow. The entire movie makes you identify with Leo Dicaprios character who turns out to be the crazy one. He created an entire false life because he did not want to deal with the fact that his wife killed drowned his 3 kids and he killed her.

The messed up part is that you are so identified with the character, when you find out he is crazy, you actually feel crazy. Like maybe your whole life isnt what you think it is. Almost like the truman show. Like everything you think you know about this world has just been a blanket pulled over your eyes. You are living in an alternate reality looking through a glass window at yourself.

After it ended I stood up and felt very anxious which is not normal for me at all. My girlfriend who has had one panic attack in her life, went into a full blown state of anxiety. By the time we got to the car she was having trouble breathing. I have never had a panic attack but I had a slight feeling about what its like to have one. It must be earth shattering for people when this feeling completely takes you over. It is like another dimension.

I am just wondering if anyone else who saw this movie felt anything similar.


MOD EDIT: to correct spelling error in thread title

[edit on 2/21/2010 by benevolent tyrant]