Istantanee

Goodness, this is a terrific movie! I was lucky to get my hands on it, as it has VERY limited access where I'm from. If you can get your hands on this film, buy it! And if you don't like it....give it to me! ok, lol.

Proof is not a comedy. It is not even a black comedy (or black, BLACKEST comedy) though it has some moments that will make you laugh or smile broadly ("You killed ugly!"). It isn't a movie so heavy either that you'll feel like someone's been slapping you throughout the film either. It is very poignant, often surreal, but very, very intelligent. Proof is a very complex movie. In other words, you can't label the characters, 'evil' or 'good' and be done with it. You got to look deeper, and the actors subtly bring it out to an external medium and you'll see it. You just gotta remember to open your eyes.

Hugo Weaving was amazing here. In fact they were all good! Including the dog. Weaving really makes you think he's a blind person, and I almost thought for a second he was until I heard "Mr Anderson" ringing in my head again.

Proof is probably the movie that comes closest to reality in people's lives. And the drive-in scene is priceless.

This is, simply put, a great movie. I won't go into the plot too much, as many other commenters do a good job of that. But suffice to say, the trio of Russell Crowe, Hugo Weaving and Genevieve Picot do more acting in this movie than is contained in all of the blockbusters the first two have made since. (I haven't seen Picot in anything else, so can't comment on her subsequent choices.)

It is definitely a small movie. But that's not a bad thing. Most people's lives are small, and this movie is a good example of how even small events -- especially small events -- can have a huge impact on a person's life.

The essential thing about the movie is not that it's about a blind guy. It's about a guy who is incapable (at the beginning, anyway) of trust. Which is why he must have "proof" of everything around him in the form of photographs (which he, paradoxically, cannot see himself, but must have described to him). By the end of the movie, he has grown enough, or become desperate enough, to try to trust Andy, and show him the most "most important photo I've ever taken."

Genevieve Picot, as the suffering, love stricken housekeeper of Martin, is great. I wish I could see more of her work.

This movie also has some really funny moments, and yes, the funniest line is "I forgot." The second funniest is "Brian." See the movie and you will understand (and laugh your ass off too).

One final note: SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!! (Also: make sure to watch on a TV with good sound. It's important for the ending (the last moment before the credits roll).)

If you are a Russell Crowe fan like me you owe it to yourself to go rent this early example of his work, which deservedly won many Australian film awards in 1991. The plot centers around 3 people - Martin (Hugo Weaving), blind since birth and distrustful of the world, his manipulative housekeeper Celia (Genevieve Picot), and Martin's young friend Andy (Crowe), whom he meets early in the movie. Martin feels that everyone lies to him, even his mother, because he is blind and "because they can." He takes pictures of his world in order to have "proof" that what people are telling him is true. Andy is the person he recruits to describe his photographs to him. The acting is first rate and the movie is in turn sad, funny, dark, and heart warming. In the end, Martin learns that although no one is perfect, sometimes you just have to trust in love. Highly recommended!

Proof is a subtle little gem of a film that gets under your skin, forcing multiple viewings. I love movies that have a minimal amount of characters who interact in complex ways, and this film delivers that beautifully. NOT a comedy, as it states on the video box, although it does have very witty and clever moments to spare.

For my Social Psychology class, my teacher showed this movie for one of our first lessons. The point of the movie was to not look at Martin, the main character, as a blind man, but as a fully capable person who was incidentally blind.

Martin, the main character, is a blind man who uses a camera and pictures as his "eyes," trusting the character of Andy to faithfully describe these pictures so that Martin can "see" them. However, trust doesn't come easily to Martin, who doubts many people in his life including his housekeeper, Celia, who is madly in love with him, and even his own Mother, who through flashbacks we see was never really trusted. Martin giving his trust to Andy, someone he barely knows, makes Celia angry and sets off a chain of events.

The story evolves from there, each scene an important piece of the puzzle (which is refreshing, no scenes are put there just to be there). The main theme of this movie is the element of trust, which Martin seems to lack, Andy seems eager to give, and Celia wants to receive.

Looking at Martin as a person, not as a blind man, makes this movie all the more rich. Martin is easily related to - Trusting someone and expecting honesty is something we all want. Similarly, Martin wants control of his life (and is by all means capable of it), but he still has that element of vulnerability, despite how much he tries to deny it. Martin must also accept the fact that people are not always perfect. They lie sometimes, and sometimes that's okay.

All in all, this movie is amazingly crafted, well written, and funny.