One Hour Photo

One Hour Photo is a brilliant and poetic film. It considers a lonely man without anyone to care for or anyone to care for him. This man is Sy, played with ease and nuance by Robin Williams. He works at a K-Mart-esque photo development stand. He has some steady customers, and thoroughly enjoys his job. He is so kind and low-key that you could pass him in the hallway and never consider him again. But in One Hour Photo we delve into that face of normality and see the psychotic. For, Sy has become obsessive over his job. His boss notices that he clings to it too much, and Sy himself keeps extra prints of one of his favorite customers. That customer is part of a family, and Sy often considers himself to be "Uncle Sy" as he has seen the family's child grow up through photos. As we see this psychotic nature come out, we become more fascinated. William performance is the key, but so is the eeriness of the cinematography, and the way that everyone in the film acts how you would expect them to. And the most interesting part of the developing psychotic-nature of Sy is that you could see him as a normal guy, or it could make you consider the inner-selves of all those who walk by and are forgotten. The poeticism and kindness the film has is admirable, and then it is followed to violence and outburst. A hell of a movie.
One Hour Photo: ★★★★