Narrative technique · used in 3 films

Simulation Narrative

Building the story on the idea that the characters' world may be an artificial simulation. The film uses that idea to ask what is real and how anyone could know.

Examples

3 films that use it

  1. Ghost in the Shell (1995) poster

    Ghost in the Shell

    Mamoru Oshii · 1995

    The Puppet Master is a consciousness that emerged from information systems with no human origin. It's a ghost that was never in a biological shell. It wants to merge with the Major, which raises a question: are organic and digital consciousness really just 2 kinds of the same thing?

    Where to see it: The Puppet Master's monologue about its own existence. A consciousness with no biological body asks to be recognized as alive. Here, the film states its main idea directly through its antagonist.

  2. The Matrix (1999) poster

    The Matrix

    Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski · 1999

    The Wachowskis drew openly on Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation (the book Neo hides discs inside). They built a world where freeing your mind from illusion is the central dramatic act. The film turns philosophy into action.

    Where to see it: Morpheus's red pill/blue pill offer. The film's main idea is delivered as a choice.

  3. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) poster

    Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

    Mamoru Oshii · 2004

    Batou and Togusa are trapped in a false reality built by a hacker, and it takes a while for them to realize it. You doubt the world they walk through just as they do.

    Where to see it: Kim's mansion: Kim, a hacker who lives in a marionette body, hacks their brains and traps them in a false reality until Batou subdues him.

Questions

Quick answers

What is simulation narrative in film?
Building the story on the idea that the characters' world may be an artificial simulation. The film uses that idea to ask what is real and how anyone could know.
Which films use simulation narrative?
Ghost in the Shell (1995), The Matrix (1999), Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004).
What kind of technique is simulation narrative?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Reality Epistemology Theme.

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