MTOTM (Movie Term of The Month): The Unreliable Narrator

Last night, I watched "The Machinist." May I just briefly say that it is one of the most haunting psychological thrillers in film history. I mean, wow. Christian Bale is one crazy mother-effer, he dedicates his entire being into his movies (except maybe "Terminator: Salvation," that was awful). Thanks to the genius of my cohort, The Rapid Reviewer, a revelation has struck!

1. the unreliable narrator, Pronoun:
(a) Any character in a film whose narration of current or transpired events cannot be completely accepted as truth by the audience. (b) Any main character in a film who exhibits behaviors commonly associated with schizophrenia, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pseudologia fantastica, and/or multiple personality disorder. Examples include:


Donald Darko

Occupation: High school student

Why He's Unreliable: Donnie is a sleepwalker. He believes that a man in a bunny suit named Frank tells him what to do. The events of Donnie's young life include parallel time lines and paranoid delusions of death.



The Narrator/Tyler Durden

Occupation: Claims Investigator/Soap Maker/Anarchist

Why He's Unreliable: Exhibits signs of paranoia, delusion, and split personality disorder. He is crazy enough to kick his own ass.



Leonard
Occupation: Unemployed

Why He's Unreliable: Leonard is unable to make new memories. He must rely on his Polaroids and tattoos to solve the murder of his wife. He has no frame of reference or sense of time.



Trevor Reznick

Occupation: Machinist

Why He's Unreliable:
Trevor hasn't slept in over a year. His perception of time and space is riddled with cloudy memories of a hit-and-run incident.




Teddy Daniels
Occupation: Federal marshal

Why He's Unreliable: 'Teddy Daniels' is a persona created by mental patient Andrew Laeddis. Andrew uses Teddy to deal with the loss of his family.



Can you think of another "unreliable narrator?" Share your findings!