Review of One Hour Photo

Introduction

Do you know who`s looking at your photos while they`re being developed? Do you think about what people on the photo finishing end will think of your little masterpiece holiday snaps? Does anyone take any notice? I normally don`t think about a human being looking at my pics, they`re pretty innocous. But still, someone out there is looking at every frame you`ve exposed and perhaps forming an opinion of you.

Sy Parrish (Robin Williams), is the photo guy on the other end who ends up seeing most of what one might shoot with a camera. But there`s something distinctly odd about him since he`s taken an interest in one particular family, the Yorkins. He`s been processing their family pics for years and he`s seen them go through the whole gamut of emotion and celebration and perhaps this is the perfect family. He`s seen them grow up and has a fondness for Nina Yorkin and her son Jake. He takes too much notice of what goes on and gets himself involved in their family business when he sees the imperfections.

It`s eery to think that some stranger is taking an unhealthy interest in your private family affairs. Wait till you see what Sy has on his bedroom wall, and you`re eyes may open wide. What`s the deal with Sy? Why and what is he doing?

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, One Hour Photo looks very good. The colours are slightly over saturated but it`s in keeping with the theme. What some have called a bit grainy or garish I think is intentionally stylised. There`s little dirt or anything else wrong with the transfer. It`s distinct throughout and creates different moods as the story progresses.

Audio

One Hour Photo has a good Dolby Digital 5.1 soundmix. It uses all the speakers in a very effective way; sometimes you`re enveloped by ambience, and get a good impression of the space around you. The rears get some good use.

Features

Good, simple to navigate themed menus with a few extras:

• Audio Commentary with Mark Romanek and Robin Williams - A very good track to listen to with a laid back Robin Williams. Insightful and surprisingly honest commentary from writer/director Romanek too.

• Cinemax Featurette (subtitled) (12:50) - This is an interesting featurette to watch though a little too short and has some behind the scenes and interviews.

• Charlie Rose Show (subtitled) (34:30) - This is an interview from an American TV show and is partly interesting to see, though it takes a while to get started after the intros. This is the comedic Robin Williams we know of and the conversations go off on different tangents.

• Sundance Anatomy of a Scene (subtitled) (26:45) - This is a good featurette with the cast and crew and is surprisingly informative. Not too long, not too short and has little crossover with the first featurette.

There are English subtitles. One Hour Photo comes in a standard keepcase.

Conclusion

Sy (Robin Williams) feeling love for the family that he`s never had creates an empathic link that`s hard to ignore, and you can`t help but wonder what this character`s life might have been like growing up. This is exactly what they want us to do, and casting Robin Williams in the role works incredibly well. Seeing how he deals with the dysfunctions of the family he thought was perfect is interesting too. As it plays out we see more of Sy`s psychosis come to the fore and there`s a dramatic degrading climax to end it.

It`s not long at a mere 92 minutes and flows well. Robin Williams` central performance here is nothing short of stunning. Playing against type he assures any viewer that he won`t be in the least bit predictable. I`ve nicknamed him "Creepy Sy, the photo guy". Attention has clearly been paid to the cinematography and works well. Considering images are the only preoccupation for Sy, the whole film has that clean, detailed and over saturated look. I like the stylised feel to the film.

When you learn that someone previously made pop videos you tend to think hard whether you should bother watching their film. In this case it worked in favour of the film. Written and directed by Mark Romanek, he`s a man who pays close attention to everything that goes on; the look, the sound and the overall tone of the script. The pacing is spot on and there are no wasted or dull scenes. It`s quite surprising when the film reaches the end.

The total package here is well balanced without any overload. The commentary is good, though don`t expect a zany wacked out Williams and the extras are interesting too. Overall One Hour Photo stands up to repeated viewing and makes for a good DVD. It`s a very enjoyable film and comes heartily recommended.