|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
One Hour Photo | Year: 2002 Directed: - Mark Romanek Actors/Actresses: - Robin Williams - Connie Nielsen - Michael Vartan Brilliant, though sometimes hard to watch ...because Robin Williams does such a magnificent job as the pitiful and scary but still poignant Sy the Photo Guy, a study in total loneliness and isolation. You can't help feeling for the guy, no matter how creepy and abject he is; there were many points when I just had to look away from the screen because I felt so sorry for him, more so than watching a million survivors of your run-of-the-mill wars, natural disasters, violence, etc. The other actors are also well cast, from the hard-nosed Walmart boss, to the supposedly perfect family that Sy idolizes. This is a subtle film, with striking visuals that keep your attention but avoid too much flash and sensationalism. (Surprising, given that the director used to do music videos.) Even though I correctly guessed the basic plot during the first 5 minutes, it still takes some unexpected twists at the end, surprisingly controlled and un-cliched twists---for example, though Sy arms himself with a six inch knife he actually doesn't use it to slice up his victims into several dozen little pieces as a more typical Hollywood melodrama would probably have him do. This film admirably doesn't take the easy way out...it's not a simplistic portrayal of a simplistic loner-psychopath, nor a simplistic expose of a Yuppy family that's not anywhere as idyllic as it looks. The brilliance of this film is how ambiguous its main characters are, how it blurs the lines between one troubled man's delusion-life and the delusional lives most of us lead. There are vast and fascinating subtexts here which are implied but not spoonfed; consequently this is a film that definitely stays with you...one of the best I've seen in years! Exemplary work, genuinely chilling, and on target Much of the attention this film receives will likely focus on Robin William's performance as Sy, a lonely, middle-aged man who works at the photo booth of a chain department store in what looks like California. Williams has turned in a melange of performances in twenty years: some gripping, and some cliche. He's good at extroverted bursts of energy; he can also soften his eyes and wrap himself around your heart. This, however, is his finest hour. He completely departs from his previous characters and creates a character that is fully realized, multi-dimensional, and psychologically on-target. It his breakthrough performance as a serious actor. It would be a shame, however, not to notice that this is also a very well-made film. A very sad but all-too-familiar story about loneliness and social isolation unfolds at a compelling pace, with a script that resists patronizing its subject or sensationalizing it. We have no choice but to notice the use of color to distinguish worlds; the flat, washed-out landscape in which Sy is imprisoned, and the lush, brilliant hues of the family life he aches for. As events unfold, we stick to Sy's personal tragedy and his rage rather than follow standard horror-movie cliches, making the suspense and the horror genuine and harrowing. Do not less this one pass by. "What the h--- is wrong with these people?" When Robin Williams utters that line, the whole audience burst into laughter. And why is that? Because there he is in his car, peering through his camera lens at an unsuspecting family--he's a stalker! Got to admit, I was hesitant to see "One Hour Photo" at the local theatre because the coming attractions made it seem quite violent. There are scenes of violence eventually, but by far most of the film is very self-contained. This is appropriate because it deals with an isolated man, Williams, who works at a one hour photo lab in a shopping mall. We see his constricted world and his lonely existence; seems sad but not all that unusual. But then there's a pullback and we see that the entire wall of his apartment is covered with extra sets of photos he has made of his favorite family, the Yorkins. He's become obsessed with them and their seemingly idyllic life, and he's about to go over the edge. What finally pushes him over? The discovery of trouble in Yorkin paradise, an adulterous affair. When he sees the photographic evidence of that, he is so outraged that he figures he has to take matters into his own hands, even if he has to balance a chef's knife with his camera in those hands. Kudos to Williams for a remarkable chameleon-like disappearance into the character of Sy the Photo Guy. He looks years older, and acts in a surprisingly understated fashion. But since we all really know that he is larger than life, we always feel that there's going to be an explosion of energy at some point, and we're not disappointed. Oscar should remember him next year. Take care where you send your photos to be developed next time! Buy One Hour Photo at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on One Hour Photo Search with the Priority Search Engine on One Hour Photo This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
