History Film / ShutterIsland

--> [spoiler:"It's about you and Laeddis. That's all it's ever been about", implying that "it" was about Daniels vs. Laeddis]]\\
As opposed to: [[spoiler:"It's about you. And, Laeddis, that's all it's ever been about", implying that Daniels ''is'' Laeddis and everything was focused around him.]]

--> [[spoiler:"It's about you and Laeddis. That's all it's ever been about", implying that "it" was about Daniels vs. Laeddis]]\\

* EpiphanyTherapy: Cruelly Subverted. [[spoiler:As of the end of the film, Dr. Cawley has gotten Teddy/Andrew to snap out of his madness twice. Neither time stuck. The movie ending somewhat suggests that Andrew is really cured, but is so guilt ridden at what he had done that he pretends to have regressed back to the Teddy Daniels fantasy so they will lobotomize him, and his last line in particular implies that he knows.]]

** Teddy is quick to notice the facility has an electrified fence, and seems to work out that Peter Breen can't handle he sound of a pencil scratching on paper. [[spoiler:It's not just Teddy working these things out. It's Teddy remembering these things due to spending two years at Shutter Island]].

* CatapultNightmare: A few.

* ByTheBookCop: Subverted. Teddy Daniels is on Shutter Island not only for a missing person's case. but to find Andrew Laeddis, the man responsible for Daniels's wife's death.

** Shortly after arriving on the island, Teddy decides to quit the investigation early on due to Cawley refusing to meet his requests, threatening to file a report of the investigation, [[spoiler:but at this point he stammers, because he's not quite certain who it is he reports to, since he only ''was'' a marshall. Chuck has to finish the sentence for him, and since he knows about FBI, he goes for "[[DoubleEntendre Hoover's boys]]".]]

** Several members of the hospital staff are actually seen [[spoiler: completely breaking character in-universe, in front of Laeddis, yet the place already feels so weird that one doesn't pay attention. This includes, but is not limited to :]]

** Shortly after arriving on the island, Teddy decides to quit the investigation early on due to Cawley refusing to meet his requests, threatening to file a report of the investigation, [[spoiler:but at this point he stammers, because he's not quite certain who it is he reports to, since he has been reporting to various authorities during his previous delusions. Chuck has to finish the sentence for him, and since he knows that this time, it's FBI, he goes for "[[DoubleEntendre Hoover's boys]]".]]

** Shortly after arriving on the island, Teddy decides to quit the investigation early on due to Cawley refusing the meet his requests, saying he will file a report of the investigation, [[spoiler:but at this point he stammers, because he's not quite certain who it is he reports to. Chuck has to finish the sentence for him]]

* AdultFear: [[spoiler:Your wife drowning your kids would certainly count.]]

* BigNo: [=DiCaprio=]'s character gets a pretty good one.

* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: Nearly the entire film is one, on the part of Kingsley's character. He fails. Or does he?]]

* AxCrazy: Andrew's wife Dolores crosses into this territory after [[spoiler: she drowns her children.]]

* {{Lobotomy}}: During the course of US Marshall Teddy Daniels's investigation into the titular mental institution, the procedure is mentioned as one method used to "cure" violent inmates that have proven otherwise unable to be helped. After a few {{PlotTwist}}s and meetings with [[spoiler: Andrew Laeddis]] and [[spoiler:Rachel]] it is held as a threat against Daniels in his attempts to escape the island. Finally, after TheReveal, [[spoiler:The whole plot is revealed as an elaborate set-up to give Daniels, who is actually Laeddis committed to the asylum after killing his wife because she murdered their children in her own insanity, one last chance to cure himself. He experiences MyGodWhatHaveIDone and chooses to maintain the fantasy, knowing that it will mean death or worse, and undergo the procedure.]]

* MrImagination: Teddy Daniels thinks he's in an investigation solving the case of a lost patient while seeking revenge against Andrew Laeddis for killing his wife. He actually is [[spoiler:Andrew Laeddis and is a patient at Shutter Island.]]

* BerserkButton: Reminding Teddy that he is [[spoiler:Andrew Laeddis]] causes him to become physically violent towards other patients.

** Early in the film, Teddy decides to quit the investigation early on due to Cawley refusing the meet his requests, saying he will file a report of the investigation, [[spoiler:but at this point he stammers, because he's not quite certain who it is he reports to. Chuck has to finish the sentence for him]]
** Teddy is quick to notice the facility has an electrified fence, and seems to work out that Peter Breen can't handle he sound of pencilscratching on paper. [[spoiler:It's not just Teddy working these things out. It's Teddy remembering these things due to spending two years at Shutter Island]].

** Teddy is quick to notice the facility has an electrified fence, and seems to work out that Peter Breen can't handle he sound of paper scratching on paper. [[spoiler:It's not just Teddy working these things out. It's Teddy remembering these things due to spending two years at Shutter Island]].

%%* BlastOut

%%* TheEndingChangesEverything

** [[spoiler: To be fair, any movie set in a mental institution is pretty much ''guaranteed'' to screw with its hero's head, so not much of a spoiler for the GenreSavvy.]]

[[redirect:Literature/ShutterIsland]]