Shutter Island Set Up

The first time we see the island where the entire film is based, is in the set up. The set up starts off on the ferry but as they approach shutter island, the camera gives us a wide shot of the island, showing it to be a dark and isolated. We are given no indication of where the island is situated, although we do know it is inhabited by an American team of men; we know this because when Teddy and his partner enter the island in the set up sequence, they are met by American officers/soldiers. We know what the island is used for as chuck (teddy’s partner) states ‘all [he] knows, is it’s a mental hospital’ to which teddy replies, ‘for the criminally insane’. However we are given very little information about where the island is, and we are unable to see any other islands surrounding it.

Another thing revealed to us in the set up sequence is information about the characters within. The first person we see is teddy, our main character. The first time we see teddy he is lent over a basin being sick; this makes the character seem very vulnerable. It’s unusual for the main character of a thriller to be made to look vulnerable, as the main character is meant to be the ‘hero’ of the film. As the scene continues, we learn that teddy has trouble with the sea. Once again this is used to highlight his weakness and perhaps a hint to a further moment in the film or even to teddies past. Another hint at the importance of water to teddy’s character is in the next scene (but still in the set up) is when teddy has a flash back of his dead wife; in between glimpses of her face, the camera flashes back to the ocean. This reveals a lot about teddy, as it shows a bit of his past; a character’s past is usual very important in a thriller as it makes the character complex and can blur the line between black and white (bad and good).

One of the relationships established in the set up, is the relationship between teddy and his partner. From the language used between the two characters and the lack of information, you can tell teddy does not yet trust his new partner as he is reluctant to reveal much information about himself.  This suggests either teddy has a past he does not want to reveal, or that teddy instinctively knows not to trust this partner.

From the first image in the set up, we see a screen of mist and fog. Fog and mist is a very enigmatic feature, as you literally cannot see clearly is you are stuck in the mist. The fact that the film starts with a fog screen, clearly shows how something wrong with world that is stopping characters for ‘seeing clearly’, this is very typical of thriller films as they start off with disequilibrium. The next image we see is the ferry coming out of the fog, perhaps suggesting that the characters on the ferry are stuck in the ‘mist’ of this world. Even the image of the island suggests there is something dark and mysterious about the world teddy is in. almost all of the film takes place on the island, this could be illustrating how the rest of the world is a mirror image of the island. The island is dark, surrounded but cloud and fog, and looks very isolated suggesting the world in which the story is set is very similar to look of the island.

There are many codes and conventions of thrillers that are used in the opening of Shutter Island. There is a lot of use of enigma codes, like the hand cuffs on the ceiling and the metal gates on the ferry. Flash backs are used in lots of thrillers to get the audience to work and try and figure out what is going on. Flash backs are used in the same way in shutter island, is helps the audience figure out what is going on with teddy. Teddy is a very typical character for a thriller, he is a detective, but we have a feeling there is something odd about him, and perhaps has a bad past.