ONE HOUR PHOTO
In the last year Robin Williams has re-invented himself – Goodbye Patch Adams, hello Norman Bates. The frenetic comedian seems to have shifted 180 degrees away from the heroic nice-guy roles he became mired in and is now determined to scare us, or at least make us uncomfortable. In Death to Smoochy he was a foul mouthed lunatic bent on revenge. After that he played Walter Finch, a brutal killer and blackmailer in Insomnia. One Hour Photo sees Williams in his most introspective role yet, an obsessed photo-mart clerk on the verge of madness. Who knew Mork could be this creepy? As Sy Parrish, Williams lets go of his usual arsenal of acting tricks, and develops a powerful performance by internalizing the character’s pain. Parrish is very still, like a pot of cold water on the heat waiting to boil. Dressed head to toe in beige – even his hair is blonde – Parrish’s world is stark, boring. He knows he has no life, and has invented an intense imaginary relationship to the Yorkin family, based on the photos of theirs he develops. When he discovers that Mr. Yorkin is cheating on his wife, he springs into action. One Hour Photo is a taut thriller that will take you down unexpected paths.
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