A photo developer becomes increasingly obsessed with
one particular family until things get brutally out of hand. HORROR
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One Hour Photo (2002)Written and Directed by Mark Romanek
Starring Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Dylan Smith, Gary Cole, Erin Daniels, Eriq La Salle, Clark Gregg |
Before the invention of the smartphone, people used to use disposable cameras to take pictures. Then, they'd take the rolls of film to a photo developer place, where they'd pick up the photos later. One Hour Photo demonstrates the insane level of trust we put into the people who worked at those kiosks. They saw all the treasured moments of our lives. Our birthdays, our weddings, family game nights, first days of school, even our dirty pictures if you had no shame. It's crazy to think we put so much information into the hands of people we didn't even know. This film shows what would happen if one of those guys was a dangerous obsessive whose reality was blurred to the point of unrecognizability.
Robin Williams is incredible as Sy Parrish, a photo developer who takes great pride in his work and is obsessed with the Yorkin family. He's been developing their pictures for nearly a decade, and he has copies of all their photos in a giant, disturbing collage on his living room wall. When he stumbles onto Will Yorkin's (Vartan) infidelity, he snaps and decides to intervene. The score of this film is what elevates this thing into full-blown horror. Coupled with Williams's unhinged performance, it creates an air of menace and unpredictability that's just waiting to explode. Movies about obsession serve as cautionary tales for our real lives. Be wary of people who show a bizarrely high level of interest in you and your family. One Hour Photo is definitely the extreme level of this sort of situation, but the film speaks for itself in regards to how easy it is to invite a psycho into your life, even if it's an accident. Check it out for yourself, if only to see Robin Williams far outside his comfort zone showing why he was one of the most talented actors who ever lived. |