A developing story

It has become a trend in recent films for comedians to play serious roles. Following in the paths of noted funny men like Jim Carrey and Jamie Fox, Robin Williams _ master of improv and quite possibly one of the silliest men alive _ has made the transition to drama. In Insomniac, it is apparent that Williams is a completely different actor when it comes to being serious.

Williams takes the refined, subtle acting style he premiered in Insomniac to the next level in One Hour Photo, creating one of the creepiest characters to grace the screen since Dr. Lecter returned in Hannibal. He plays Sy "the photo guy" Parish, the film developer at a local Savmart, one of those giant stores that sells everything and seems to need its own zip code. He stands behind the counter of the photo development center and gazes with a tight smile out at the customers in the rest of the store.

Parish's eyes light up whenever he sees his favorite customers, the Yorkins, approaching. The Yorkins _ at least through the pictures they give Sy to develop _ seem to be a perfect loving family with their adorable little boy Jakob. Parish is obsessed with their life, and wishes with all of his heart that he could be in their photos.

But the Yorkins don't pay much attention to Sy, even though he has their address memorized. They probably don't think about the fact the he looks at every single picture they give him to develop. They certainly never speculate that he makes a copy of every single picture they give to develop and takes these copies home.

In reality, the Yorkins are far from perfect. Nina Yorkin is a frustrated mother who must cope with a husband whose job seems to be more important than his wife. Being in charge of the household chores, including shopping, Nina has the most contact with Parish. Parish admires Nina as a prime example of a motherly role-model and even starts reading a book because he saw her reading it in a photo.

But while Nina may be a good mother, we find out through another female customer's photos that there is actually a far more disreputable reason for Mr. Yorkin's neglectful behavior. Once Sy discovers this, his serene vision of the Yorkin's life is shattered and the depth of Parish's obsession is revealed.

Williams' performance is excellent, full of subtleties and nuances that were unexpected from a man famous for being a human cartoon. As the film goes on, it is revealed that Parish has some very sizable issues that contribute to his isolation from humanity. Williams captures the essence of a character who we cannot relate to on the inside; a man that is far from normal, but who has developed methods to cope with and blend into society. He manages to fester a look in his eyes so that the audience can tell that behind his "the customer is always right" smile, there is a profoundly disturbed man



Besides Williams' performance, the most striking feature of the film is its cinematography. Writer/director Mark Romanek creates a stark contrast between the pale lackluster colors of Robin Williams' life and the bright colors of the Yorkin's. The lights in the Savmart where Parish works are garish _ so bright it's as if Sy was under the bright lights of an operating table. Parish's face is washed out, his hair is bleached blonde, his clothes are all pastels. At night he goes home to a house devoid of color except for the pictures of the Yorkins. These photos are vivid as if one of the Yorkins was a professional photographer. Every aspect of the Yorkin's life is filled with warm, lush and vibrant colors. We cannot blame Parish for his interest in the Yorkin's life, but we can blame him for his obsession

The set up for One Hour Photo is creepy and well done, but once the story gets going Parish's next moves become predictable. We see his obsession with the Yorkin's fester, and it is not that hard to guess what he is going to do. Romanek takes the easy way out at the climax, fitting all of Parish's extremely creepy eccentricities into a standard psychological model.

And when the credits role, the audience is left with plenty to mull over. Everyday thousands of people drop off photos to be developed and usually never think that the people who are developing them are getting these glimpses into our lives. In the broader scheme of things, we may realize how often we overlook certain people in our lives.

While the complexities of Parish were unraveled by the climax of the movie, the film still remains a deeply provocative character study _ one that leaves the audience thinking about their own inner thoughts and those of the everyday people we often neglect