Abstract

The study analyzes relations between memory, identity and reality erosion in Paul Verhoeven’s film ‘Total Recall’. Paul Verhoeven intentionally makes his film a text open to the greatest variety of independent interpretations and not restrictive in meaning in order to render reality erosion prima facie within the mind of the film’s main character Douglas Quaid portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reality erosion is a transgression of perception of reality by virtue of an elimination of meta-knowledge, i.e. knowledge which supports memories which constitute the core of the identity and tells which memories are true and which ones are not. One of the possible interpretations of film ‘Total Recall’ shows the significance of the memories constituting the core of the identity: thus, the implanted into the mind of the main character of the film memories make him think that he is Douglas Quaid and identify himself as a construction builder, i.e. a member of working class; by-turn this makes the conditions for Douglas Quaid’s empathy to the Martian workers who are discriminated and oppressed and repressed by authoritarian governor of Mars Cohaagen who personify capitalism, and his fight against the governor and his order.