Shutter Island: Why The Glass Is Invisible

Warning: Spoilers for Shutter Island.

In Shutter Island, why does a woman appear to drink an invisible glass of water? The moment has confused many moviegoers since the film’s 2010 release, with some people even accusing director Martin Scorsese of missing a continuity error. However, the scene in question is no accident, as it informs audiences about the perspective of Leonardo DiCaprio’s lead character, Teddy Daniels.

The invisible glass sequence takes place at the 37-minute mark in Shutter Island. By this point, Scorsese hasn’t yet revealed the big twist, and so the audience can’t understand the true meaning during a first watch, at least if they haven’t already identified the thematic subtext during the first act. What the audience does know, however, is that detective Teddy Daniels arrives at Ashecliffe Hospital to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando. When he meets with Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Dr. Jeremiah Naehring (Max von Sydow), it becomes evident that something strange is going on at Shutter Island. Plus, it’s also revealed that Teddy is haunted by memories of his late wife and experiences during World War II.

Shudder Island’s invisible glass sequence takes place directly after Teddy wakes up from a nightmare. He pleads with Dr. Cawley to interview patients from Rachel’s group therapy session, which leads to a conversation with Bridget Kearns (Robin Bartlett), a seemingly-normal woman who just so happened to murder her philandering husband with an axe. After some chit-chat about Rachel and a man named Dr. Sheehan, Mrs. Kearns appears to drink an invisible glass of water, with the follow-up shot showing a physical glass but no water inside. She then appears terrified when Teddy asks if she knows a man named Andrew Laeddis. Thematically, the invisible glass sets up the late-movie reveal that Teddy is actually Andrew Laeddis, and that his alleged detective partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), is the aforementioned Dr. Sheehan. DiCaprio’s character is part of a role-playing experiment to help him overcome repressed memories, which is why the glass appears to be invisible. From Teddy’s perspective, he blocks out the water because it reminds him of a traumatic experience.

In Shutter Island, water is a primary theme because of what transpires in the climactic reveal. Teddy remembers the fact that he killed his wife, Dolores Chanal, after she drowned their three children. So, at the 12-minute mark, when Dr. Cawley tells Edward “Teddy” Daniels (an anagram for Andrew Laeddis) that Rachel Solando (an anagram for Dolores Chanal) seemingly evaporated, he’s actually trying to help Leonardo DiCaprio’s character overcome his delusions about the elaborate fictional framework that he created. Shortly before the invisible glass scene, Teddy has a nightmare about a woman who appears to be his wife and then wakes up to pouring rain, which thematically connects to the opening sequence when DiCaprio’s character arrives at Ashecliffe Hospital during a storm. In Shutter Island, Teddy is haunted by a perpetual “rain” (i.e. emotional trauma), and so his subconscious blocks out water because it reminds him of the day he lost his three children and murdered his wife.

The invisible glass woman, Mrs. Kearns, shows up again at the 97-minute mark in Shutter Island. She laughs when Teddy is asked about his “partner,” because she knows that Chuck is actually Dr. Sheehan, which is revealed approximately 15 minutes later in the film. In the follow-up shot after Mrs. Kearns, Scorsese includes a close-up of a shower spout and then a wide shot of Teddy being figuratively reawakened by the water. From that point forward in Shutter Island, DiCaprio’s character inches closer and closer to the truth about his H2O complex.

About The Author

Q.V. Hough
(1892 Articles Published)

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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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