The Truman Show (1998)

Truman Burbank is the cheerful and unsuspecting star of The Truman Show, a reality television program filmed through thousands of hidden cameras 24 hours a day and broadcast to a worldwide audience. Christof, the show’s creator and executive producer, seeks to capture Truman’s authentic emotions and give audiences a relatable everyman.

As Truman was selected from a number of unwanted pregnancies, Christof claims that Truman came to be adopted not just by the show, but by the “world”. Truman’s hometown of Seahaven Island is a complete set built within an enormous dome and populated by actors and crew members, allowing Christof to control almost every aspect of Truman’s life, including the weather. To prevent Truman from discovering his false reality, Christof manufactures scenarios that dissuade Truman’s desire for exploration, such as killing off his father in a sea storm to instill aquaphobia, and by constantly broadcasting and printing messages of the dangers of traveling and the virtues of staying home.