Can you tell whether what you remember is true or not? Can you tell where what you believe is true or not. Can you tell whether you are in dream or in real?
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio plays) was investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. He believed that the hospital had dreadful secrets. Teddy was also investigating Andrew Laeddis (Teddy believes he killed Teddy’s wife) who vanished from this hospital without trace.
Story started with his new partner Chuck on the ship which is going to go to the hospital. They started investigating at the hospital, but there is a lot of regulation and unreasonable things, even he is U.S. Marshal, they could access all information they want. The lead psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley, refuses to hand over records of the hospital staff; murderess’s doctor, Dr. Sheehan, had left on vacation after murderess’s disappearance. They hide something from them? After few days’s investigating at the hospital, he started to believe that the hospital is for performing questionable experiments on its patients, and sends the incurable to the lighthouse to be lobotomized. He started behaving so insanely against doctors, staff, and patients. Finally he got to the lighthouse, but there is no clue of experiment on its patients. Two Dr. was there, they told him ‘You are Andrew Leaddis’.
The truth is the following. Teddy is Andrew Laeddis. Sadly, his wife murdered their 3 children by making them drawn when he was out. He found the incident, he killed his wife. I could not accept his real world. So, he create imaginary person “U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels” and the imaginary story of Andrew Leaddis.
Finally, Dr. Cawley presumably takes this as a sign of regression and regretfully decides to have Laeddis lobotomized. Before he is taken away, Laeddis asks Dr. Sheehan, “Which would be worse? To live as a monster, or die as a good man?”, and then calmly leaves with the orderlies. Dr. Sheehan is left uncertain whether or not Laeddis has truly relapsed, or simply prefers lobotomy to having to live with his guilt and sorrow.
I actually am not sure that I could understand this movie correctly, but let me write movie review. This movie is really exciting. Story is complex but you will be obsessed with.