One Hour Photo

The Arts Cafe

Romanek's 'One Hour Photo' certainly worthy of exposure

By Chris Hammonds
Assistant Editor

Robin Williams' movies typically adhere to a certain expectation. It's usually a safe assumption that the acting will be over the top and the audience will come away from the movie with some kind of syrupy family message. Ten minutes into director Mark Romanek's "One Hour Photo," it becomes obvious that this is a very different experience.

In this Sundance Film Festival entry, Robin Williams plays the role of Sy Parrish, a lonely photo processor working the one hour photo center of SavMart (this film's depressingly dead-on interpretation of your common "X-Mart" corporation).

Through several years of developing the family photos of Will (Michael Vartan) and Nina Yorkin (Connie Nielson) and their son Jake (Dylan Smith), Parrish develops an unhealthy obsession with the family. To his starving mind, the Yorkins become the quintessential picture, quite literally, of everything he wants to be.

As the first half of the film rolls on, it becomes increasingly clear just how consuming Sy's obsession is. It is when Williams' character opts to slip out of reality to fantasize about having a role in the Yorkins' personal lives as "Uncle Sy," that viewers realize his obsession has gone completely past the boundaries of being a mere voyeuristic interest.

The Yorkins become Sy's surrogate family in a secret relationship that exists only in his head.

From there, Williams' character's actions begin to spiral further into absurdity as circumstance and the discovery of a dark secret about the Yorkins causes Sy's "life" to fall down around him.

"One Hour Photo" is a departure from the stereotypical Robin Williams lead. Williams plays Sy with absolute seriousness and mannerisms that could be called relatively subtle but are anything but underplayed.

It is easy to forget that this is the same man who was once Jack and the voice of Aladdin's genie. Forget Mrs. Doubtfire; this is the kind of transformation that, coming from Robin Williams, is truly impressive.

Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography is beautiful. The film's portrayal of some of the lowest, and creepiest, points of the human condition could be called artistic, but it never feels blatantly artsy, nor does it feel like the film is using symbolism just for the sake of appearing deeper than it really is.

"Stylistic" and "atmospheric" would be the words to use. One can feel the sterile, almost antiseptic environment of the SavMart.

Good acting and an incredibly effective musical score by Trent Reznor push the film into the realm of greatness.

"One Hour Photo" is a perfect example of how a relatively limited project can eclipse mainstream cinema in almost every department, sans sucking up millions at the box office.

"One Hour Photo" will be opening Oct. 14 at Mount Berry Cinemas.