In the hit Jim Carrey movie, The Truman Show, Truman Burbank is the star, unbeknownst to him, of a reality TV show that follows his every move. The film, which contains incisive social commentary is an excellent vehicle to showcase the actor's talents and is one of Jim Carrey's best movies.
Truman comes close to finding out the truth of his reality many times throughout the film, from small incidents that are easily explained away to bigger reality-shattering events that shake his worldview. In one of the best quotes of The Truman Show, the fake show's director, Christof, explains that Truman has "accepted the reality with which he is presented," so he never had to find out about the show's true nature. That said, there were more than a few times that he nearly found out the truth.
When The Light Falls On Truman
A light from the roof of the Seahaven dome falls, almost hitting Truman on his way to work. Truman is cautious about it, having never seen a star fall before, but picks it up to inspect it. A presenter on the radio in Truman's car later explains it as part of an airplane passing overhead.
Truman has never seen a TV show being made before, so the type of light means nothing to him. However, due to the label and the glass shattering, Truman begins to think that something is amiss in Seahaven.
When Truman Experiences Very Selective Rainfall
As Truman reflects on his father's death at the beach, a sprinkler activates overhead and drenches Truman. The rain falls in a specific place and follows Truman around. At first, Truman thinks it is magic, but then the crew makes thunder roll overhead and rain fall everywhere.
Truman returns home and tells his wife Meryl, but she dismisses his concerns and quickly turns the conversation to other matters. Truman has no way of knowing, at this point, that someone is controlling his life, but this incident could have tipped him off, as he thought the whole rain situation was very strange.
When His Dad Comes Back From The Dead
Truman's dad reappears as a homeless man on Truman's way to work. Truman notices him and tries to talk to him, but the crew of the show takes the dad away, pushing him onto a bus, which Truman chases. Later, Truman's mother gaslights Truman and pretends it's all in his head.
The crew controls everything that happens in the city, so Truman must have seen the ominous crew members around before, directing actors around and preventing intrusions. This incident is a blatant attempt to control the show, and Truman could have realized this.
When Lauren Garland Tries To Expose The Show
Truman's first love, Lauren, appears in several scenes of the film. Her real name is Sylvia, and Truman falls in love with her at first sight. They escape to the beach and share their first kiss, but Sylvia is taken away by an actor posing as her father. Truman does not understand what is going on, as Sylvia and the actor tell different stories, but Truman latches onto the actor's lie that they are moving to Fiji, and attempts to travel to Fiji throughout the film.
Sylvia did not achieve her goal of telling Truman the truth, and because the actor causes such chaos and takes her away, Truman is left in the dark.
When Truman's Car Picks Up Radio Interception
Truman's car radio breaks and picks up a transmission from the crew members of the show detailing Truman's morning commute to work. The crew follows his every move, putting Truman on edge and making him suspect that the world is watching him.
Finally, Truman gets too freaked out to continue driving. The radio fixes itself and the presenter explains the experience as the radio picking up a police frequency. However, the specific nature of the transmission has Truman reeling.
When Truman Discovers A Crew Member Lounging Behind An Elevator
After his strange experience with the radio frequency, Truman walks through Seahaven in a daze. He enters a building under the pretense of having an appointment, but the elevator in the building is missing due to the whole building being a prop.
The green room is visible with the crew eating donuts and drinking coffee. This experience shatters Truman's worldview, as it hints that something is literally behind the scenes pulling strings in his life. As usual, Meryl explains it as an accident and says "it's not even worth thinking about".
When Meryl Crosses Her Fingers In Their Wedding Photo
While looking at his wedding photos, Truman realizes that Meryl has her fingers crossed as they kiss, indicating that she never had real feelings for him. This incident exposes Truman's closest friends and family's fake nature and contributes to his decision to leave, as he truly has nothing worth staying for.
Truman has no way of knowing that Meryl married him for a TV show, but this incident is a massive clue that no one in Seahaven can be trusted. The fake marriage is an example of The Truman Show's sharp media satire, with many celebrity marriages in the real world being falsified for views.
When Truman Visits The Fake Hospital
As with every building in Seahaven, the hospital is also fake. Truman follows his wife to work, curious to see if she is hiding something from him. Since the hospital staff are actors, they do not know what to do while operating, and the head surgeon ends up hurting the still-awake patient on the operating table.
This incident almost confirms Truman's suspicions that no one can be trusted. However, he still clings to the hope that some people can be trusted, as he later visits a travel agent and trusts her to help him buy a ticket to Fiji.
When Truman Tries To Escape With Meryl
Truman notes that the cars on his street travel in a particular pattern, indicating that someone is controlling them. When Meryl says that Truman is acting strange, he locks the doors and they drive out of Seahaven, attempting to escape.
During this escape attempt, Truman grows more frantic. More incidents occur such as a policeman he has never seen before using Truman's name, and Meryl yelling at the crew to "do something" when Truman lashes out at her. Jim Carrey's acting in this sequence is stellar, with Truman moving from comedic and curious to frantic and desperate to escape. This sequence is one of many that proves that this is one of Jim Carrey's best films yet.
When Truman Sees A Man Jumps Out Of A Christmas Present, The Parachuter & More
Truman's younger years were full of people trying to intrude on the show and get their 15 seconds of fame. During one Christmas, a man in a Santa hat hidden in a Christmas present jumped out and declared that it is all a show. Luckily, Truman was a toddler at the time and had no idea what was going on.
Later, a parachuter flew down into Seahaven, almost exposing the truth, but the crew members kept Truman occupied. In addition, Lauren/Sylvia was part of "a very vocal minority" (according to Christof) who wanted to see Truman freed from his cage. Christof, played by Ed Harris in one of his best roles, acts as a God-like figure in Seahaven, controlling Truman's life to keep him within the confines of the TV show.