Shawshank

Poster
Illustration
Graphic

On its surface, The Shawshank Redemption seems to have a straightforward plotline that revolves around the prevailing aspects of hope, faith, and friendship. One could easily perceive it as a film reflective of conventional tropes where the main character (Andy Dufresne) starts with a predicament, discovers hope, and finds a solution. 

However, upon closer inspection, we discovered that Andy Dufresne’s character arc never wavers. He is hopeful upon incarceration and remains so as he escapes a free man. Red, on the other hand, makes a full circle. He is the narrator for a reason and is the actual main protagonist, not Andy — whose character functions as a diversion and an agent to Red’s full transformation as a redemptive figure. Red is The Shawshank Redemption.

In the film, Red gifts Andy with a smuggled poster tube; its contents, the infamous Rita Hayworth poster. Guided by this gesture, a series of posters were designed retelling the story from a slightly different perspective.