Shutter Island

 

The first scene of Shutter Island (2010) sets an intense and foreboding mood right from the start with expert camera, sound, and editing. The movie starts with a gradual fade-in, introducing U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a boat, who is suffering from seasickness. The camera holds a close medium shot on his face at first, highlighting his discomfort and restlessness. As the scene unfolds, wide shots create the grandeur of the sea, rendering the ferry isolated—a preservative indication of the themes of entrapment of the film. Handheld camera movements exist subtly in the background, creating instability, as if reflecting Teddy's psychological and emotional balance. At the introduction of his partner, Chuck Aule (played by Mark Ruffalo), the scene relies on over-the-shoulder shots and shot-reverse-shot, solidifying their conversations at the expense of creating an unsettling space between them. The desaturated, cold color grading also adds to the ominous atmosphere.

Sound design is important in creating suspense from the beginning. The atmosphere is filled with ambient sounds of waves and the distant foghorn, making the environment feel isolated. The music is low and ominous, building up slowly as the ferry nears Shutter Island, leaving the audience feeling the burden of impending doom. The dialogue is taut, but there are deliberate pauses that create tension and leave the audience unsure of the tone of the exchange. The editing is slow, deliberately allowing the tense atmosphere to build. But there are quick disorienting cuts—such as Teddy staring into a mirror and the jarring cut to his fantasy about his wife—which suggest there's more going on psychically in the film. The opening sequence cleverly employs cinematography, sound, and editing to create a dreamlike, near-nightmarish tone, involving the viewer in Teddy's fragmented reality from the first scene.