Technological progress can make many old films, even those made in relatively recent times, incomprehensible to younger generations due to there featuring obsolete technology that original film makers took for granted and never bothered to provide explanation to future audience. One such example could be found in One Hour Photo, 2002 psychological thriller written and directed by Mark Romanek.
Film was made in time when photography was still predominantly analogue instead of digital, in other words, required chemical processes to develop film and print pictures. Most people lacked resources and skills for that, so their photographs had to be handled in specialised labs. One of such labs is part of large department store and its only employee is photo technician Seymour “Sy” Parrish (played by Robin Williams). He is middle-aged lonely man who, despite his job not being particularly glamorous, takes it very seriously and does his best to provide the best possible services to his customers. Among those customers are Yorkins – family of 30-year old Will (played by Michael Vartan), his beautiful wife Nina (played by Connie Nielsen) and their 9-year old son Jake (played by Dylan Smith). Yorkins were coming to his lab for years and Seymour has, based on their photographs, created image of perfect loving family whose life represents complete opposite to his own lonely ascetic existence. Seymour has began to like them and even imagine himself being called “Uncle Sy” by Jake. In time he begins to lose ability to set reality apart from his own fantasies, but everything will come crashing down when few events show him that the ideal image of Yorkins was just an illusion. Seymour feels hurt and embittered and decides to set things right and “correct” Yorkins with any means possible.
Robin Williams was not only one of the greatest actors of his generations, but it took decades before he was able to show true range of talent by playing villains. In 2002 he did it with two high profile roles – in Christopjer Nolan’s Insomnia, where he played psychopathic killer, and in One Hour Photo. This role is even more demanding, because Sy is seemingly perfect, quiet and laborious individual whose eternal smile hides serious psychological issues and someone with ability to imagine and even do terrible things. Williams delivered strong performance and has proven all sceptics wrong. Even better surprise is direction by Mark Romanek, film maker who was, until that time, known almost exclusively for his work on music videos. Unlike most directors who came from that milieu and felt the need to bombard audience with “cool” shots and MTV-style rapid editing, Romanek here prefered more subtle approach, with longer static shots. This allowed even better opportunity to cast to show its skill, but also made cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth to create specific atmosphere with his combination of colours blue and white and, in a way, pay homage to the works of Stanley Kubrick. The supporting cast is also good, especially Gary Cole in the role of Sy’s boss. Romanek, unfortunately, didn’t match quality of his direction with quality of script, which provided this film with rather weak and un-cathartic ending. Despite that One Hour Photo can be recommended as superb character study, well-directed film and even an interesting window in relatively recent yet very distant past.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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