Shutter Island (2010)
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A U.S. Marshal and his partner investigate a mysterious disappearance at a remote psychiatric facility.
The story
In 1954, U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule travel to Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island in Boston Harbor. They are investigating the disappearance of Rachel Solando, a patient of the hospital who had killed her three children by drowning. The staff, led by psychiatrist Dr. John Cawley and his colleague Dr. Jerimiah Naehring, appear uncooperative. The marshals learn that Dr. Lester Sheehan, who was treating Solando, left the island on vacation immediately after Solando disappeared. Daniels has his own ulterior motives for taking the case, and the atmosphere is thick with tension as they navigate the facility's secrets.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1954, U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule arrive at Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando. While investigating, Teddy suffers from migraines and flashbacks of his time as a soldier in the liberation of Dachau. He secretly hopes to find a patient named Andrew Laeddis. During the investigation, Teddy encounters a woman claiming to be the real Rachel Solando, who warns him that the doctors are using his war trauma to feign a psychotic break. After a confrontation in the lighthouse, it is revealed that the investigation was a staged roleplay. Teddy is actually Andrew Laeddis, who had been institutionalized for years after the death of his wife, Dolores. The 'investigation' was designed to help him break out of his delusional persona. In the end, after a moment of clarity, Andrew chooses to be lobotomized to escape his internal torment, while Chuck (who is actually Dr. Sheehan) watches the process.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin Scorsese
- Writers
- Laeta Kalogridis · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Edward "Teddy" Daniels / Andrew Laeddis; Mark Ruffalo · Chuck Aule / Dr. Lester Sheehan; Ben Kingsley · Dr. John Cawley; Max von Sydow · Dr. Naehring; Michelle Williams · Dolores Chanal; Emily Mortimer · Rachel Solando; Patricia Clarkson · Rachel Solando
- Genres
- neo-noir; psychological thriller
- Themes
- guilt; identity; mental illness
- Tone and mood
- tense; hallucinatory
- Setting
- A psychiatric hospital on a fictional island in Boston Harbor in 1954.
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; psychological thriller; neo-noir
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was noted for its atmosphere and score.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 69% · scale: percentage · review count: 263; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Ranked in top ten films of 2010 · National Board of Review · 2010 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for a 2009 release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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