One Hour Photo

Seymour is a lonely nondescript man who lives by himself and works in the photo developing lab in a large mall. The only bit of cheer in his day is to develop very good photos in his lab, and he takes great pride in his work. His favourite customers are the Yorkin's, who have a son and regularly develop pictures. Seymour's like for this family goes beyond `like' and he feels part of their family and has all their pictures on his wall. However when both his job and the unity of his family are threatened he reacts.

I saw this film in a free preview screening before it came out so I had no reviews to cloud me first. Happily most of them appear to feel the same as I did. In terms of plot this set up will be no surprise to anyone – we've all seen Single White Female and Pacific Heights etc, we know what happens that leads to the old bunny boiling etc.

However One Hour Photo is different enough to justify watching. My wife complained that it was too slow and boring but I felt this approach helped it stand out. Instead of being a thriller it was more of a cold slow boiler than was more chilling than thrilling. The plot is well laid out – even the money shot of all the pictures on the wall is played out while we're distracted by a joke from the Simpsons on TV. The director's cold approach to story telling works very well and highlights Seymour's grey existence and cold life. Only occasionally does he go astray – the fantasy sequences don't always work for instance but for almost the whole film he does very well.

Towards the end Seymour's behaviour goes erratic as we expect and I was worried that the film had eventually given way to cliché. Happily this is not the case. Yes, Seymour's change is a bit of a leap at first but the film cleverly pulls it back at the end. This makes it above the rest of this genre by a good head and shoulders. Clever touches abound in the film but don't always work. For example the director shows us that it is all about seeing by covering Seymour's eyes with objects in some shots to show he has lost his ability to watch, while the name Yorkin is a slight play on `Your Kin' or your family. These are clever but don't add very much – the eye theme felt a bit too clever and intrusive.

Williams is excellent. Having paid to see him mush around in Patch Adams I was worried here that eventually his emotions would run away with him. However Williams (and here's something you'd won't hear much) keeps it all in check and underplays wonderfully. His Seymour is likeable, sad, pathetic and chilling all at once. It's hard not to feel for him and he is better for being low-key. I truly felt Williams had turned himself into a `little' man – one of those people who you barely notice on the streets as they make no lasting image. Vartan (Alias) is good as Will and Nielsen is also good as Nina. They are also given firm support in the shape of Gary Cole and La Salle. However his is Williams show and, by underplaying, he steals it easily.

Overall this has it's flaws but it is head and shoulders above the rest of this stalker genre. Directed with a clinic eye rather than a thrilling eye this is clever and different enough to more than justify checking it out.

One Hour Photo is a film of supreme caliber. The film is powered by the haunting, chilling, silencing, and above all-genius performance by Robin Williams. But the rather extraordinary thing is that it is not Robin Williams on the screen, it's Sy Parish (the character's name). Robin Williams fades away from our senses and slips into the ever so sweet and innocent yet psychotic role of a supermarket's photo developer. The films script is only accented by Williams, at times, restrained performance. Williams ignites on the screen and burns till the last frame, and you are unable to take your eyes off him. As I mentioned the film is subliminily written as well as directed. Though being Romanek's first, I certainly don't think this is a bad start. Romanek's direction adds to the on-going tension throughout the film. More affecting is Williams' delightful calmness. Trying to hold himself in becomes more troublesome for both Williams and his character as the story develops. Yet through the calm eyes of an innocent blaze the fires of hatred and intensity, which could very well sum up Williams' performance. The film does have some disturbing images as well. Yet they are not really strong enough for you to get up from your seat and leave yet rather the opposite. Williams' contribution as well as guidance towards the actions and scenes of peril compell as well as amaze you towards both the performance and film itself. Williams' shocking contribution to the screen is enough to make you cry, scream, and yell in your seat. Because the origins of the character are bittersweet just like own known Williams, leads to a crazed and psychotic breakdown. It's as if watching our own funny and beloved Robin fail us. Though the truth could not be any further, Williams but succeeds in the art of acting, creating an achievement in the field. Creating a landmark. Writing his/its own chapter. I guarantee that this film will be required study material in acting classes for now on. In conclusion: definitely one of the best of 2002.

Robin Williams, one of the funniest people on the planet, has made a career of playing some very unpleasant people. In this one, he works at a Fotomat (now nearly extinct) and become the stalker of a family that brings their films to him for development. Not only does he stalk them, he knows everything about them, their birthday parties, their fights, their sporting events, etc. Of course, at some point he is going to inject himself into their lives. Fortunately, the scrip writers used some restraint and made this play out the way it should have (I won't' spoil this for you). Suffice it to say that the trip is a scary one and we can't help but feel our flesh creep a bit. We also are made aware of his loneliness and his dysfunctional existence. He is a multidimensional figure, as quirky as one can get. After seeing "The Social Network" recently, I have to also say that we have created a societal voyeurism in our culture. This further shows how fragile our privacy is and how we are willing to sell it to the highest bidder.

A seemingly innocuous man's descent into madness, and its effect on a family, gives One Hour Photo an advantage over most attempts at psychological thrillers. As with most movies, even critical darlings by the master himself, Mr. Hitchcock, there are questionable plot contrivences and scenes where reality has to be suspended, but these annoyances did not interfere with the total enjoyment of the movie. Williams was eerily brilliant as "Sy, The Photo Guy", and was able to travel between chillingly detached and forcefully angry with ease. The brilliant use of stark colors fleshed out the film, and those that garner enjoyment from the sets and cinematography, as well as the dialogue, will be pleased. This is a film for those that enjoy the total movie experience, and those that appreciate an intensity in their psychological thrillers will not be disappointed. After viewing this film, the question now becomes who gets the Oscar, Williams for One Hour Photo, or Pacino for Insomnia ?

A haunting performance from Robin Williams at his best.