Describe a relationship between two characters that was important. Explain moments in the film to show why this relationship was important. A relationship between two characters that is prominent in The Truman Show is the relationship between Truman and Louis Coltrane, known to Truman as Marlon. This is a very one-sided relationship, because Truman believes ‘Marlon’ is his best friend, while Marlon is really just an actor who doesn’t care about Truman enough to be honest with him. This is an important relationship because it really shows how fake Truman’s world really is.
A moment in the film that shows that Truman’s relationship with Marlon is important is the scene where they are playing golf on an unfinished bridge. It seems that this bridge is a place they often meet; we also see them talking at it later in the movie. The bridge itself is also a metaphor – it only reaches halfway, just like Marlon and Truman’s relationship. The scene starts with Marlon advertising a beer, reminding us that the relationship is faked on his side. During the scene Truman tells Marlon his dreams about seeing the world and travelling to Fiji, while Marlon tries to talk him out of it.
This shows us how controlled Truman’s life is, because Truman believes he is having a real heart-to-heart conversation with his best friend, while in reality, Marlon is trying to stop him doing what he wants to do. And so we can see how important the relationship between Marlon and Truman is, because it portrays how little control Truman has over his own life. Another moment in the film that demonstrates how Truman’s relationship with Marlon is important is the scene in the mini-market. Truman interrupts Marlon’s work to tell him that “I’ve gotten mixed up in something”.
Even though Marlon was trying to brush him off in this scene – “Now, Truman, if this is one of your fantasies, I’ve got no time” – Truman needed to share his discoveries with him. This shows that Marlon is always the first person Truman would talk to if something was happening. He needed his best friend when things were weird. We can see from this scene that Truman really does care about Marlon, and shares everything with him, without realising Marlon isn’t really giving anything back. This scene shows how one-sided Truman’s elationship is with Marlon, as is his relationships with everyone else in his world. A third moment in the film that establishes how Truman’s relationship with Marlon is significant in the movie is the scene where Marlon is comforting Truman on the unfinished bridge after the latter’s fight with Meryl. The scene cuts between Marlon and Truman talking, and the control room, where Christof is telling Marlon what to say over an earpiece. In the scene, after Christof cues him, Marlon says, “And the last thing I would ever do… is lie to you.
I mean, think about it, Truman. If everybody’s in on it, I’d have to be in on it, too. I’m not in on it, because there is no ‘it’. ” The irony of this line is that Marlon does indeed lie to Truman, he has before and he does it right in that sentence. And so this shows that Truman’s life really is a complete lie – even words of comfort from his best friend actually come from a director. In his time of need, Truman is lied to, just like in the rest of his life. We can see from these scenes that Truman’s relationship with Marlon is parallel to the rest of Truman’s life.
If Truman wants to do something that isn’t on the script, he is beaten down. If Truman wants to share something with someone he cares about he is brushed off. If Truman is in need of comfort from his best friend, instead of honest words from the heart, Truman is fed lies to try and keep him ‘happy’. This synonymous relationship is essential to the movie because it helps the audience understand on a smaller scale how mistreated Truman is – a vital part of the movie’s theme.
