Conference bookie::movies

135.0. "Proof" by 5540::MATTSON (Penfold...I said shush!) Mon Apr 12 1993 13:16

    Rented this one over the weekend having never heard anything about it. 
    What a neat little film this is!  I believe it's Australian; it's
    directed by Jocelyin Moorhouse and stars Hugo Weaving, Genevieve Picot
    and Russell Crowe.
    
    It's the story of a man who was born blind.  As a child, he was struck
    by the realization that people could very easily lie to him and his
    whole life becomes consumed by mistrust.  His mother would describe to
    him the garden in the yard outside their window but he was never sure
    that she was telling him the truth.  Later, she tells him that she has
    become seriously ill and will soon die so he must go live with his
    grandmother but he doesn't believe her; he thinks she just wants to be
    rid of him because he is blind and a burden to her.  His mistrust is so
    deep that he even believes that an empty coffin was buried in his
    mother's grave.
    
    His plan to deal with this problem of not having any proof of his
    surroundings was to get a camera and take pictures to document his
    world.  The trouble with this, of course, is that he has to find
    someone he trusts to describe the pictures to him.  The person he
    finally finds to do this for him is a man named Andy who is an employee
    at a restaurant that he frequents.  Slowly, a relationship evolves
    between these two but it's badly complicated by the blind man's
    housekeeper who is sly, manipulative and completely obsessed with him.
    
    There are some truly priceless moments here and a bit of black humor as
    well (just picture an obviously blind man with the cane and dark
    glasses and all walking through a park randomly snapping pictures!).  I 
    had never heard of any of the three principles in this film but they
    were all wonderful.  I believe this is just recently available on video
    (it was in the New Releases section).  I would highly recommend it.
    
    --Beth

    Proof was recommended to me well over a year ago by a friend 
    and fellow employee who lives in Australia. He was so serious 
    about getting me to see it that he sent me a movie release
    flyer.  I don't recall Proof ever hitting the theaters here
    in Southern California (and I frequent a local 'artsy' theater),
    so a month ago I found it at Blockbuster Video and rented it.
    
    Very interesting concept and good acting overall. I felt very sad
    for the blind man. Not because of his blindness, but because of his
    inability to trust or believe.  
    
    Jodi-

    Yes, a beautiful little film, almost like a play.  Extremely good
    story-telling, as it revealed a little bit more in each scene about the
    characters.  The revelations at the end worked extremely well, because
    they'd been set up very subtly in the beginning.  
    
    -Rob

    It played at the Nickelodeon in Boston several years ago.  The funniest
    part was at the drive-in when the blind guy is feeling the condoms and
    the people in the next car don't know he's blind.  Hugo Weaving, the
    protagonist, was recently in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the
    Desert.

    Caught this over the weekend.  I liked it a lot and agree with a
    previous note that said the protagonist's mistrust of the world was
    kind of sad.  (Understandable, I guess, but sad.)  And, of course, I
    really liked Andy, the dishwasher.  
    
    Them Australians, they sure can make movies. :)
    
    ***.5 out of ****
    
    kim