A gloomy day, a ferry, two partners, and a mystery they have to solve – that's all you can say about Shutter Island without spoiling the viewing experience for a new audience.

Martin Scorsese is a master of building atmosphere. It's hard to believe that the same person directed Taxi Driver, a deep drama about a man left adrift in society after the Vietnam War, the historical-romantic The Age of Innocence, and the black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. But every time, Scorsese's films are a feast for the eyes and the mind.

Shutter Island is famous for its unexpected plot twists (and, let's be honest, a fairly popular template for memes). But we'll try to examine the film under a microscope and understand how small, scattered puzzle pieces form a big picture.

About the Creation

Initially, the rights to adapt Dennis Lehane's novel Shutter Island were acquired by Columbia Pictures back in 2003, immediately after its publication (around the same time Clint Eastwood directed Mystic River based on another work by the author). But after numerous delays, the rights to Shutter Island returned to Lehane. Eventually, a few years later, Columbia only became the distributor, while Paramount Pictures handled production.

David Fincher and Wolfgang Petersen were seriously considered as directors for the film. If the latter had taken the helm, the film was planned to be an action movie packed with action scenes. But what else would you expect from the creator of Troy?

Ultimately, Martin Scorsese took the position and approached the preparation thoroughly. Crew members recall that the master held screenings of Out of the Past and Vertigo for them to demonstrate his stylistic vision.

About the Release

Initially, Shutter Island was scheduled for release on October 2, 2009, to fit into the awards season. Paramount Pictures had to abandon this plan and move the release to February 2010 for several reasons.

The first reason was financial, as the studio couldn't afford an Oscar campaign for multiple films simultaneously (hopes were pinned on Up in the Air and The Lovely Bones). At that time, promoting just one Oscar-contending film required between fifty and sixty million dollars.

The second reason was that Leonardo DiCaprio was so swamped with work that he simply had no time in his schedule to give interviews for promoting the film.

And the third reason was that Shutter Island targeted an older audience, so a winter release seemed like a more strategic move, as very few "intellectual" films typically come out during the winter season. Less competition.

About the Actors

As of now, Shutter Island is the only collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio that didn't receive any Oscar nominations (for the reasons mentioned above). Just for interest, let's list all the others: Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – all of them participated in the race in one way or another, including nominations for Best Picture.

By the way, The Wolf of Wall Street was originally supposed to be released before Shutter Island. And again, all plans were disrupted by financial issues, as The Wolf of Wall Street required a much larger budget, which the studio wasn't ready for.

Mark Ruffalo got his role in a very amusing way – he wrote a fan letter to Martin Scorsese, in which he very sweetly expressed how much he wanted to work with the maestro. Before Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Brolin were considered for the role of Detective Chuck Aule. Interestingly, in the future, all three actors would play iconic characters in the Marvel cinematic universe: Bruce Banner / Hulk, Tony Stark / Iron Man, and Thanos, respectively.

Interesting Details About Shutter Island That Don't Fit Into General Categories

Some phrases used in the film are direct and intentional quotations. For example, the inscription on the cemetery, "Remember us, for we too have loved, lived, and laughed," was borrowed from a real cemetery in Medfield, where it referred to victims of the 1918 Spanish flu. And a couple of dialogues in the script are quotes from serial killers.

The working title of Shutter Island was Ashfield, but the idea was rejected. After all, the original Shutter Island itself is an anagram of the phrases "truths and lies" and "truths / denials." This decision fits well with the spirit of the film, which itself isn't averse to a good anagram.

A small spoiler for the road. For most of the screen time, the weather appears cloudy and rainy, with the rain intensifying towards the end of the film. The sun only comes out in the final scenes. In this way, the creators paid tribute to Sigmund Freud, who compared the subconscious to cloudy weather and the conscious to clear weather.

Screenings of Shutter Island will take place on April 16 at the Rodina Cinema Center (St. Petersburg) and the Moskino Kosmos Cinema (Moscow). You can find out about tickets here.