October 2, 2002

UK One Hour Photo Review

Thanks to Sponesix. :)

After severe career rehab, Robin Williams has thankfully ditched the saccharine sentimentality of "Bicentennial Man" in favour of an altogether darker side, seen earlier this year in "Insomnia".

Now, in "One Hour Photo", he shows once again that, with the right character, he can be as creepy as the next, er, creep..

Williams plays Sy Parrish - Sy the Photo Guy to his friends, of which there are few - a lonely photo processor in a massive, sterile American superstore.

With his standard issue supermarket smile and devotion to his work, Sy is unremarkable in both his character and characteristics. Even outside of the store he lives a spartan life.

But this clean veneer covers a gaping hole in Sy's personal life, filled by an obsession with a family which visits his store.

Making copies of their photos for himself, he displays them in a creepy wall montage at home, slowly and desperately falling in love with the happy family life they lead.

That is, until their perfect image begins to crack, causing Sy to intervene.

In a film all about superficiality, former music video director Mark Romanek piles on the gloss and creates a striking visual style.

The cinematography is as detailed as Sy himself. Williams inhabits a carefully selected colour scheme, a world of harsh whites and washed-out blues, illuminated by the glare of a fluorescent bulb.

Romanek pays more attention to this style than giving depth to his characters and plotting, exploring Sy's psychosis but never really delving into the reasons behind it.

But it's Williams' understated performance as the softly spoken psycho (not a hint of Mork in sight), both sinister and sympathetic, that leaves a lasting impression.

© BBC Films Review 2002

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