![]() Sy uses a psychological stiletto, but he's the same kind of character, the sort of man you don't much notice, who blends in, accepted, overlooked, left alone so that his rich secret life can flower. Watching the film, I thought of Michael Powell's great 1960 British thriller " Peeping Tom," which was about a photographer who killed his victims with a stiletto concealed in his camera. There is one moment I will not describe (in order not to ruin it) when Sy commits a kind of social trespass that has the audience stirring with quiet surprise: Surprise, because until they see the scene they don't realize that his innocent, everyday act can be a shocking transgression in the wrong context. When Romanek departs from reality, he does it subtly, sneakily, so that we believe what we see until he pulls the plug. ONE HOUR PHOTO MOVIEWhat would happen, for example, if Will Yorkin is having an affair, and his mistress brings in photos to be developed, and Uncle Sy "mistakenly" hands them to Nina Yorkin? The movie at first seems soundly grounded in everyday reality, in the routine of a predictable job. But in an era when naked baby pictures can be interpreted as child abuse, the man with access to your photos can cause you a lot of trouble. Customers approach it across an exposed expanse of emptiness, with Sy smiling at the end of the trail.Ī man who works in a one-hour photo operation might seem to be relatively powerless. Through choices involving set design and lens choices, the One Hour Photo counter somehow seems an unnatural distance from the other areas of the store, as if the store shuns it, or it has withdrawn into itself. You can hear the fluorescent lights humming. His interiors at "Savmart" are white and bright, almost aggressive. Much of the film's atmosphere forms through the cinematography, by Jeff Cronenweth. they don't mean much by themselves, but they add up to an ominous cloud, gathering over the photo counter. A tone of voice, a half-glimpsed book cover, a mistaken order, a casual aside. Mark Romanek, who wrote and directed the film, is sneaky in the way he so subtly introduces discordant elements into his perfect picture. Young Jake ( Dylan Smith) is cute as a picture. Will ( Michael Vartan) is your regular clean-cut guy. Nina Yorkin ( Connie Nielsen), pretty and fresh-scrubbed, has a cheery public persona. The Yorkin family is at first depicted as ideal: models for an ad for their suburban lifestyle. The first time we see Sy behind his counter, neat, smiling, with a few extra pounds from the diner routine, we buy him. Robin Williams plays Sy, another of his open-faced, smiling madmen, like the killer in " Insomnia." He does this so well you don't have the slightest difficulty accepting him in the role. If they were to decide to abandon film and get one of those new digital cameras, a prudent instinct might lead them to keep this news from Sy. There is an edge of need to his moments with them. The Yorkins know him by name, and are a little amused by his devotion. Only occasionally does the world get a glimpse of the volcanic side of his personality, as when he gets into an argument with Larry, the photo machine repairman. But the Yorkins serve him as a surrogate family, and he is their self-appointed Uncle Sy. He is an "ideal employee." He has no friends, a co-worker observes. There is a diner where he eats, alone, methodically. ![]()
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