Exploring the idea of an “unreliable narrator” in film

This article contains some (old) film spoilers!

What is an unreliable narrator in film?

An unreliable narrator is a character who tells the story (usually in the first person) in a way that can’t be trusted. Their unreliability might be psychological instability, a personal bias, or just that they’re outright lying! This unreliability can either be quite subtle, or it can be declared right from the start. It makes the audience question how true the information being given through the course of the film might be, which adds some extra layers to the story.

The evolution of the unreliable narrator

Top 10 Unreliable Narrators (in writing).

Although the term might be fairly modern, the idea of an unreliable narrator isn’t anything new. In literature, an unreliable narrator even pops up in the 14 century in The Canterbury Tales in The Wife of Bath’s Tale when she gives an account of her marriages that’s clearly biased.

Edgar Allan Poe did this too, like in The Tell-Tale Heart when the narrator describes committing murder and his subsequent paranoia, all the while insisting he’s sane! These are just two examples but it’s been done time and again in writing, so it makes sense that films would take this particular narrative technique and run with it.

Early examples of an unreliable narrator in films

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

One of the earliest examples of an unreliable narrator in film is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) which is told mostly through a flashback from the perspective of Francis who talks about his terrifying experiences with Dr. Caligari and Cesare, a somnambulist (sleepwalker). It’s revealed at the end that Francis is actually an inmate in an asylum, which casts doubt on his whole narrative.

A slightly later example is Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright (1950), which also has a flashback sequence, later revealed to be a lie. Rashomon, also from 1950 has multiple conflicting accounts of a murder and rape from different characters’ perspective. There are lots of examples of an unreliable narrator technique being used right through each age of cinema.

Signs of an unreliable narrator

How can we look for an unreliable narrator? Often it’s part of a twist, so it’s deliberately tricky (and why would we want to spoil the joy of the reveal) but there are clues given like breadcrumbs through films, and these often include:

Contradictory information. When the narrator’s account conflicts with known facts or what other characters say.
Inconsistencies. Discrepancies in the narrator’s story that suggest memory lapses or deliberate lies.
Self-Serving narratives. Stories that represent the narrator in an excessively positive (or negative) way.
Mental instability. Indicators of psychological issues that might affect the narrator’s idea of reality.
Direct address. Instances where other characters or events explicitly challenge the narrator’s reliability.

Types of unreliable narrators

Unreliable Narrator in Movies

There are different types of unreliable narrator and these tend to be grouped into categories. Some say there are five main types and some say as many as nine, so maybe the actual answer is somewhere in between, but it doesn’t matter too much! Here are the commonly talked about ones.

The Madman: This type is characterised by mental instability, where the narrator’s grasp on reality is questionable. Their delusions and hallucinations blur the line between truth and fiction.
The Naïf: Usually due to their youth or inexperience, this narrator misunderstands or misinterprets events, meaning an incomplete or skewed perspective.
The Liar: A narrator who deliberately lies to the audience, either with a hidden agenda or to protect themselves from the consequences of their actions.
The Clown: This narrator uses humour and absurdity to hide the truth, providing an exaggerated or fantastical version of events.
The Pessimist: A negative outlook taints this narrator’s perception, leading to a biased and cynical account of events.
The Ghost: A character who has died but is narrating the story from their perspective.

Films unreliable narrators appear in

We’ll take a look at some of the narrator types above in films. They’re not an exact fit to any one box sometimes, and there’s often overlap, but this will give you a good idea of each type.

The Madman

This means the narrator’s mental instability creates a story that’s fragmented and often surreal. You find this kind of narrator in psychological thrillers and horror films, where the line between reality and delusion is intentionally blurred.

Psycho (1960)

Norman Bates is not a narrator in the traditional sense, but as a character his actions and perspective are unreliable, and the story unfolding through his viewpoint and actions makes him akin to an unreliable narrator. Bates has a split personality and his “mother’s” overbearing presence has distorted his perception of reality.

Fight Club (1999)

The narrator in Fight Club is Edward Norton’s unnamed character, an “everyman” type who’s just getting through life without any particular joy in it. Through the story, we have numerous moments where he’s contradictory and inconsistent, which are clues to his unreliable nature. Eventually we find out that Tyler Durden – who we’ve seen throughout as a separate character – is actually The Narrator, they’re one and the same.

The Naïf

The naïf (meaning someone who’s naïve) narrator is sometimes a child or someone with limited understanding of the world around them. Their innocence and lack of experience lead to misinterpretations and an incomplete grasp of events. This type of narrator is effective in creating a sense of irony and highlighting the contrast between perception and reality.

Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest’s innocence and limited understanding of the world lead to a simplified and sometimes inaccurate portrayal of both historical events and his own life experiences. He recalls teaching Elvis Presley dance moves, and creating the famous smiley face icon with a naivety that overlooks the broader context and complexities of these events. His narrative is sweet and charming, but still unreliable.

Amélie (2001)

Amélie has what’s called an omniscient narrator which means they (he, in this case) know everything about events in the story, character’s motives, and so on. Amélie has a whimsical and idealistic view of the world that shapes the film’s narrative and the actual narrator is a projection of this.

The Liar

The liar is a narrator who intentionally deceives the audience. Their motives for lying vary, and it could be a matter of self-preservation or simply malicious intent.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects manipulates the characters and us as the audience with a tale about Keyser Söze. Later, this is revealed to be a complex web of lies and leads to a shocking twist that changes the whole narrative.

Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl has two (unreliable) narrators, Nick Dunne and his wife Amy. We are instantly suspicious of Nick and the way he recounts events, but when we switch to hearing from Amy we realise she’s also manipulating things, including her diary entries and her telling of events to frame Nick for her disappearance.

The Clown

The clown type of unreliable narrator uses humour and absurdity to distort the truth, with an exaggerated or fantastical version of events, making it difficult to discern reality from fiction.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Raoul’s drug-fuelled exploits cause hallucinations and an exaggerated recall of events. His behaviour and the ridiculous things that happen to him mean it’s difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fiction!

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017)

Jack Sparrow has a whimsical and usually misleading way of telling stories which makes his narration unreliable. For the first three films in the series, that doesn’t matter too much, as it’s not really Jack’s story we’re hearing despite him being the main character. Later though, the fact he’s established as so unreliable actually means his story starts to lose meaning, which just goes to show that the “clown” type of unreliable narrator can have a detrimental effect if it’s overused.

The Pessimist

The pessimist’s negative outlook has an influence on their narrative, usually leading to a biased and cynical telling of events.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Travis Bickle is disillusioned with society so he interprets events and people in a negative light, in an entirely biased way. The things we see often contradict his dialogue, he stops and starts frequently, and he gradually becomes more violent about the situations around him.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Joe Gillis is another cynical, bitter character with a cynical perspective on Hollywood and his own life which shapes the film’s narrative.

The Ghost

Ghost narrators are usually in stories filled with mystery and ambiguity. Their detachment from the living world can mean an fragmented or biased account, driven by lingering emotions or “unfinished business”.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

Susie Salmon is a young girl murdered by a neighbour who narrates the story from the afterlife. Her perspective is a poignant but only partial view of her family’s struggle to cope with her death and look for justice. Susie’s narration is coloured by her emotions and her desire for closure, making her an unreliable but still deeply affecting storyteller.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychologist who thinks he’s helping a little boy who sees dead people. The film is mostly told from Crowe’s perspective and so the twist at the end where we find out he is in fact one of the ghosts, is hugely effective. Crowe’s inability to recognise that he’s no longer alive makes his narration flawed and unreliable – but we don’t know that until the end!

Unreliable narrators and psychology

Fight Club 1999

Exploring unreliable narrators offers us some insights into human psychology.

Trauma and memory

Unreliable narrators are sometimes dealing with a lot of trauma, which is the reason they distort reality. This demonstrates the complex relationship between trauma and memory, where painful experiences can alter how people remember and recount events. Films like Shutter Island (2010) explore this and show how trauma can shape and manipulate memory.

Self-deception

Self-deception is at the heart of a lot of unreliable narrators. They build false narratives to protect themselves from the truth or to keep up a certain self-image. This is a psychological defence mechanism and it highlights the fragile nature of identity and the lengths people will go to preserve their sense of self.

A Study of Unreliable Narrators Throughout Film History

Perception

By presenting a story from a skewed perspective, this type of narrator shows how personal biases and experiences shape our understanding of reality. By exploring perception, the viewer is challenged to think about any limitations of their own viewpoints.

Conclusion

An unreliable narrator is a strong storytelling tool that adds layers of ambiguity. They blur the lines between reality and fiction, and they challenge us as the viewers to question what we’re seeing and hearing. This technique deepens the story and enhances emotional engagement, and by shifting perspectives and introducing doubt, unreliable narrators no doubt create a more powerful and interesting experience.

About this page

This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Andrew Blackman. Andrew is a freelance writer and editor, and is a copy editor for Envato Tuts+.

Post date August 5, 2024

This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Marie Gardiner