Shutter IslandEnding Explained: Revisiting That Mind-Bending Plot Twist 15 Years Later — and What That Chilling Final Line Really Meant

Mar. 15, 2025

Leonardo Dicaprio and Ben Kingsley in ‘Shutter Island’ (2010).Photo:Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

More than a decade after the release of the 2010 psychological thrillerShutter Island, its ending remains a mystery to many.

TheMartin Scorsese-directed film starsLeonardo DiCaprioas a U.S. Marshal named Edward “Teddy” Daniels, who is sent to a high-security psychiatric hospital called Ashecliffe to help track down a missing patient named Rachel Solando.

Teddy reveals to Chuck that he is suspicious of the hospital’s leaders, whom he believes are mistreating the patients and hiding a man named Andrew Laeddis. As Teddy explains, Laeddis is an arsonist who started a fire that ultimately killed his wife, Dolores Chanal (Michelle Williams), and he’s the real reason he took the case on the island.

As his frustrations grow, however, so do his chances of leaving the island of his own free will without interference from the nefarious staff.

So what really happened at the end ofShutter Island? In honor of the movie celebrating its 15th release anniversary on Feb. 19, here’s everything to know about the psychological thriller and what that chilling final line signified about the main character’s sanity.

Warning:Shutter Islandspoilers ahead!

How didShutter Islandend?

Leonardo Dicaprio in ‘Shutter Island’ (2010).Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

At the end ofShutter Island, it is revealed that Teddy is actually a longtime patient of Ashecliff’s named Andrew Laeddis, who created the persona of Teddy Daniels to escape reality.

Dr. Cawley explains that while Andrew was once a U.S. Marshal, he was relieved of his duties two years prior after he shot his wife Dolores for drowning their three children in the lake behind their home.

Dr. Cawley and Dr. Lester Sheehan, who Andrew knows as his “partner” Chuck, tell Andrew that they have been engaged in an elaborate role-playing scenario with him, involving the entire hospital staff and allowing him free reign of the grounds.

Though Andrew is initially disbelieving, he is able to remember the crime he committed after Dr. Sheehan urges him to acknowledge the existence of his daughter, Rachel.

The following morning, however, the doctors’ hopes are dashed when Andrew greets Dr. Sheehan as “Chuck” and begins to reiterate his belief that they must escape from the island together.

Sheehan exchanges a glance with Cawley, who presumably orders Andrew to be taken away for a lobotomy.

What happened to the kids inShutter Island?

Leonardo Dicaprio in ‘Shutter Island’ (2010).Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Andrew and Dolores welcomed three children together, including two sons and a daughter named Rachel.

In addition to his guilt over murdering Dolores, Andrew blames himself for the death of their children, as he tells doctors that he ignored the warning signs of his wife’s mental decline, which included burning down their home.

Unable to face the horrors of his reality, Andrew creates an alter ego named Teddy to escape his upsetting memories.

Was Andrew sane at the end ofShutter Island?

In thefinal moments ofShutter Island, Andrew makes a statement that prompts the audience to question whether or not he’s actually sane and pretending to be otherwise.

According to Lehane, who ended the book with Andrew’s brief lucidity quickly passing, the film’s line is merely a “momentary flash” of the character’s sanity.

Lehane continued, “I think that in one moment, for a half a second sitting there in that island he remembered who he was and then he asks that question and he quickly sort of lets it go. That was my feeling on that line.”

According to the film’s psychiatric adviser, Professor James Gilligan, however, who spoke toThe Guardianin 2010, Andrew was aware of his actions when he was ordered to be lobotomized.

What happened to Andrew inShutter Island?

Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo Dicaprio in ‘Shutter Island’ (2010).Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

source: people.com