One Hour Photo (2002)

Directed by: Mark Romanek | 98 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Dylan Smith, Erin Daniels, Gary Cole, Lee Garlington, Paul H. Kim, Marion Calvert, David Moreland

The first in a series of films in which comedian Robin Williams took on the role of villain. After this movie, he played the bad guy in ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Death to Smoochie’. Williams plays Sy Parrish in ‘One Hour Photo’. Parrish is a contact-shy employee at a photo shop. His life is entirely devoted to his work. Parrish’s favorite clients are the Yorkin family. In this family, Sy Parrish sees everything he wanted to achieve in his life, but never got it done. When Parrish discovers that this apparently happy family is in danger of falling apart because of Father Will’s cheating, everything goes to pieces at the photo developer.

‘One Hour Photo’ is the first film in which Robin Williams tried to save his tarnished career. In recent years, the American comedian has been involved in weak roles in family films. In this film, his considerable acting talent comes to the fore again. The great thing about his acting is that as a viewer you are completely swept up in Sy Parrish’s downfall. More on that later. The story begins with a scene in an asylum. We see Sy Parrish talking to Detective Van Der Zee (Eriq LaSalle). Through a voice-over, Parrish tells how he got there. This voice-over immediately sets the tone of the film. In his tinny, emotionless voice, Parrish tells how it all got to this point. The design of the film takes advantage of this. Everything in the film is tight and clinical. Slow shots of the shopping center where the photo shop is located reinforce the uneasy feeling that the voice-over evokes. The somber colors and the paranoid sounding soundtrack complete it.

‘One Hour Photo’ is not an easy film. The film creates an uneasy feeling and the themes of individualism and isolation in our society make you think. Furthermore, the slow progress of the film will also scare people off. The same goes for the character Robin Williams portrays. Sy Parrish is a man bursting with loneliness and despair. He leads an anonymous and empty life. The photo developer is alone and has no family or friends. All he has is his job and his desire for a family. He recognizes this ideal family in his regular customers, the Yorkin family. When Parrish’s obsession with the Yorkins begins to take an unhealthy shape, he begins to make mistakes at work. Then he is fired. When Parrish discovers that father Will Yorkin is cheating and neglecting his family, the photo developer is all over the place. He will protect ‘his’ family! Sy Parrish is not your average movie hero. Robin Williams acts very subdued, in fact there is nothing to notice of his busy and exuberant behavior that is reflected in many of his later films. Only his name actually reminds of the comedian who has become so famous with family movies like “Flubber” and “Mrs. Doubtfire’.

He already proved that Williams can convince in serious roles in the films ‘Awakenings’, ‘The Fisher King’ and ‘Good Will Hunting’. He even received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the latter film. His name as an actor threatened to get into the doldrums after several flops, but with his new roles as a villain he is back again. With ‘One Hour Photo’ as the highlight. With his supercool playing, Williams believably manages to drag you into the inevitable demise of the lonely photo developer. Despite his horrific actions and paranoid behavior, Williams still manages to arouse sympathy for his character. As a viewer, you can understand what drove Parrish to his actions, without justifying it.

It’s a bit of a shame that Williams’ strong role completely overshadows the other actors. Connie Nielsen (Nina Yorkin) and Michael Varkan (Will Yorkin) act well, but can’t hide the fact that their characters are in fact quite one-dimensional. The film is a one man show for Robin Williams. It is mainly thanks to his strong performance that ‘One Hour Photo’ has become such a successful film. Unfortunately, this film was not a huge success at the box office. Probably because the sleek design and different storyline did not appeal to many visitors. The story is too slow and redesigned to reach a large popcorn audience and has been deemed too commercial by arthouse enthusiasts. Therefore, this film has not reached a large audience. Completely wrong. This intelligent thriller from director Mark Romanek deserves to be watched by a large audience.