ONE HOUR PHOTO

by

debbie lynn elias

"One Hour Photo" is all it takes to convince one of the virtues of digital cameras. Starring Robin Williams in what is undoubtedly another Oscar-worthy performance, "One Hour Photo" is the story of Seymour "Sy" Parrish, a lonely but seemingly kind, calm middle-aged gentleman hiding behind some over-sized glasses, who works as a film processor for a one hour photo booth in the local Say Mart store. With a forced cheerfulness uttered through whispered tones, a sort of desperation oozes to the surface leading one to believe that "Uncle Sy" is not exactly what he would have us believe him to be and below that exterior calm is a time bomb waiting to explode.

On the surface, Uncle Sy is the epitome of perfection in a photo clerk - being prompt and attentive to his customers, not to mention giving generous discounts or 5x7's instead of 4x6's when the photos are particularly "happy." His primary business is repeat customers, some of whom he develops great affection for, and none more so than the seemingly blissfully perfect Yorkin family. Taking an exceptional interest in the Yorkins, Sy seems to dote on them, taking extra-special care of their photos and paying extra-special attention to Nina Yorkin. (Now, bartenders I expect to have pay extra-special attention to their "special" customers - they get tips. But the photo guy?) A quick look at Sy's apartment, however, shows a completely different side of him. Looking more like a shrine to the Yorkins than Sy's place, we see the walls covered with Yorkin family photos, including pictorials of their son Jake, spanning the 8 years of his young life. Sy's wallet contains Yorkin photos as well which he happily shows off as "his family."

But, as to be expected, retail and freebies do not go hand in hand, and management gets a bit tired of Sy's generosity, not to mention his peculiarity and obsession with the Yorkins (did we say quadruple prints), leading him to be fired. This is the trigger mechanism in Sy which leads up to some sort of unspecified violent crime (which I will not divulge) which sets up our tale.

Known primarily for his background in music videos, first time director/writer Mark Romanek does a breathtakingly haunting job of voyeuristically and subtly breaking apart Sy's facade, capitalizing on not only William's extraordinary voicing and characterization talents, but by heavily relying on the edgy cinematography of Jeff Cronenweth. Using one of my favorite techniques, Romanek opens the film with Sy in custody being interrogated, basically retelling the events of his life for the audience. The script is minimalist - clean and strong with little excess - everything that is said and done has a specific point and purpose in bringing Sy's story to an unsettling and frightening crescendo.

Connie Nielson as Nina Yorkin follows-up her stellar performance in "Gladiator" with a picture perfect characterization of the suburban housewife and doting wife and mother. Michael Vartan (voted one of this year's Sexiest and Most Eligible Bachelors by "People" magazine), leaving behind his nice guy image seen in "Never Been Kissed", is riveting as Will Yorkin - self-made successful businessman who resents his wife's apparently excessive spending habits, giving us yet another dichotomous character as an added piece to this puzzle. Eriq LaSalle of "ER" fame, comes convincingly into the fray, bringing his own tacit brand of acting as the detective investigating the crime for which Sy is accused.

The suspense is real. The situation in this day and age - believable. After his work in the recent "Insomnia," I thought it almost impossible for Williams to push the envelope any farther towards the dark side. I was wrong. Robin Williams makes this movie what it is with his uncomfortably fearless portrayal of the wimpish Sy the Photo Guy, giving us the creepiest, most spine tingling, heebie-jeebie making film of the year.