Secret Window
Director: David Koepp
Cast: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton
Based on the novella “Secret Window, Secret Garden” by renowned author Stephen King, “Secret Window” follows Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) a struggling author with marital problems who lives in isolation with only a blind dog for company. Mort’s life descends into a maelstrom of insanity when he is confronted by a stranger claiming that Mort stole his story; a story that is connected to Mort’s life in more ways than he realizes.
Symbolism plays an important role in this movie, particularly in the life of Morton Rainey.
When we are first introduced to Mort, the camera goes through a mirror before it focuses on Mort sleeping on the couch. I believe this moment represents the moment we as the audience are taken from reality into Mort’s psyche and from this point on, we are seeing everything from Mort’s perspective. The dreams that Mort has throughout the film are photographs of his past; painful memories that he has buried so deep within his mind that his subconscious is haunted by them. The true conflict of the film, however, is entangled in the deeper dream; the battle between Mort Rainey and John Shooter (John Turturro) over their identical "stories". I think that John Shooter is a symbolic metaphor of Mort’s most painful memory: the night he discovered that his wife betrayed him with another man. The “story” that John claims Mort stole from him is, in actuality, the life that Mort shared with his wife, Amy; a life that he describes as perfect. John’s accusation of plagiarism against Mort is a reflection of Mort’s own feelings about his wife’s betrayal. He tells Mort than his story was perfect and that Mort ruined the ending – aka his marriage – and he will only be satisfied when Mort restores the story and his marriage is healed.
The moment that Mort disappears completely into his psyche and the Shooter persona is truly acknowledged occurs when he realizes that he can no longer prove that he is the true author of the story. In this moment, his grip on reality is completely shattered, he is confronted by a physical manifestation of an inner voice that is forcing him to acknowledge the truth of his insanity and ultimately, Shooter emerges, his sole desire being to “finish” the story by putting it quite literally to rest. When Amy comes to Mort’s house to confront him, the camera pulls away from the mirror, allowing the audience to see the true reality of Mort’s character from Amy’s perspective. The torn pages of the story have reappeared, the house is trashed and Mort has been completely transformed into Shooter. The irony is that even after his desire for revenge has been satisfied, the darkness remains smoldering in Mort's character, even though his life appears otherwise restored.
“Secret Window” is a metaphor for insanity. As we follow Mort on his journey, his struggle may be perceived as a frightened and lonely victim's desperate plea for help or a man finally succumbing to the demons of his past and his only thought is to destroy the entity that is haunting him by whatever means necessary.The film is flawlessly cast, but Johnny Depp truly shines as Mort Rainey, bringing both a sympathetic fragility and a chilling, sinister charm to the character. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, then "Secret Window" is one I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: David Koepp
Cast: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton
Based on the novella “Secret Window, Secret Garden” by renowned author Stephen King, “Secret Window” follows Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) a struggling author with marital problems who lives in isolation with only a blind dog for company. Mort’s life descends into a maelstrom of insanity when he is confronted by a stranger claiming that Mort stole his story; a story that is connected to Mort’s life in more ways than he realizes.
Symbolism plays an important role in this movie, particularly in the life of Morton Rainey.
When we are first introduced to Mort, the camera goes through a mirror before it focuses on Mort sleeping on the couch. I believe this moment represents the moment we as the audience are taken from reality into Mort’s psyche and from this point on, we are seeing everything from Mort’s perspective. The dreams that Mort has throughout the film are photographs of his past; painful memories that he has buried so deep within his mind that his subconscious is haunted by them. The true conflict of the film, however, is entangled in the deeper dream; the battle between Mort Rainey and John Shooter (John Turturro) over their identical "stories". I think that John Shooter is a symbolic metaphor of Mort’s most painful memory: the night he discovered that his wife betrayed him with another man. The “story” that John claims Mort stole from him is, in actuality, the life that Mort shared with his wife, Amy; a life that he describes as perfect. John’s accusation of plagiarism against Mort is a reflection of Mort’s own feelings about his wife’s betrayal. He tells Mort than his story was perfect and that Mort ruined the ending – aka his marriage – and he will only be satisfied when Mort restores the story and his marriage is healed.
The moment that Mort disappears completely into his psyche and the Shooter persona is truly acknowledged occurs when he realizes that he can no longer prove that he is the true author of the story. In this moment, his grip on reality is completely shattered, he is confronted by a physical manifestation of an inner voice that is forcing him to acknowledge the truth of his insanity and ultimately, Shooter emerges, his sole desire being to “finish” the story by putting it quite literally to rest. When Amy comes to Mort’s house to confront him, the camera pulls away from the mirror, allowing the audience to see the true reality of Mort’s character from Amy’s perspective. The torn pages of the story have reappeared, the house is trashed and Mort has been completely transformed into Shooter. The irony is that even after his desire for revenge has been satisfied, the darkness remains smoldering in Mort's character, even though his life appears otherwise restored.
“Secret Window” is a metaphor for insanity. As we follow Mort on his journey, his struggle may be perceived as a frightened and lonely victim's desperate plea for help or a man finally succumbing to the demons of his past and his only thought is to destroy the entity that is haunting him by whatever means necessary.The film is flawlessly cast, but Johnny Depp truly shines as Mort Rainey, bringing both a sympathetic fragility and a chilling, sinister charm to the character. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, then "Secret Window" is one I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.