Proxy

Nothing is as it seems in this bizarre, Hitchcockian mystery thriller. Unfortunately, it doesn't all add up, either. Don't wait for an ending that wraps it all up--there isn't any, which it too bad for a film that is very well made and acted. The story starts with a bang, a brutal and senseless assault that occurs before the opening credits. And then it builds ... slowly ... ever so slowly--at a pace some may find atmospheric but others will consider tedious. As the story finally progresses, it gradually reveals that what seems to be going on isn't what's really going on, as each layer of the story hits yet another twist, leading to yet another layer. Who or what is this story about? Who's the protagonist? Who's the antagonist? It keeps the audience off balance. Somewhere in the middle was the mother of all continuity errors, where a character was wearing a bloody shirt inside the house, then a clean version of the same shirt outside the house, then the bloody version again when he went back into the house. Was the outside an extra scene that was shot later and then inserted into the film? Or was this inconsistency purposely part of the story to convey that what obviously is happening isn't really happening after all? Several things that character does never add up and are never explained. For a horror movie, there's little gore, most violence is implied or portrayed indirectly, and the blood is downright artistic. The focus is on the story. The film is very well made, it's just too bad that the story doesn't make more sense.

This review contains NO SPOILERS and I suggest you skip the reviews with spoilers until after you see the film.

In my opinion this film is a gem in a sea of gravel. Although it could be more polished it nevertheless retains its value.

The actors performances range from competent to stellar (Alexia Rasmussen was particularly impressive but everyone involved held their own and had their moments to shine) and this is in no small part due to good writing and direction. Cinematography is a similar affair ranging from adequate to mesmerizing. It is certainly a mixed bag but you'd be pressing pretty hard to go so far as to call any of it bad. I personally felt the score was superb and fit the tone of the scenes well.

With the exception of a fairly brutal scene in the first act of the film there really isn't much violence or gore on screen here and what little of it there is was handled tastefully. Visually there is nothing here you won't have seen before. What makes it disturbing is the context, the emotional and psychological mayhem rippling through the characters affected and the cold distance maintained by those less/ unaffected around them. The behavior of the main characters may be extreme but they are the extremes of common conditions.

This is where the film truly shines, as a study of the human condition when emotional needs are not satisfied, the common phenomenon of loneliness and isolation within a dense population and the resulting psychoses. The way empathy is handled in a clinical fashion by professionals and dished out superficially by peers when it suits their agenda, the way people within various relationships, genders (or rather, levels of masculinity or femininity within both genders) as well as how deserving a person may actually be of true empathy anyway are all bouncing off each other here and it's really engrossing to behold if this sort of thing interests you.

I really don't want to spoil anything for any of the viewers for whom this film is intended so I hope it suffices to say that there are "twists" resulting from the nontraditional narrative structure that create an unpredictable thriller spliced with elements of drama/ horror. Every time I made an educated assumption of where things were headed the film surprised me and seemed to revel in doing so until the credits rolled.

If you are the type of person who thinks a character in a film who happens to be of a certain gender or sexual orientation being portrayed as flawed is an accusation directed at everyone in that category or, more importantly, are enduring the loss of a loved one . . . viewer discretion is advised.

I hope this film isn't lost in the horde of mediocre entries in the genre(s). From me this film scores a solid 8/10.

Some scenes are really well-crafted (the extreme slow motion scenes in particular are gorgeous) so there is definitely some talent behind the camera.

But, and that's a big but, the pace is at a snails speed at times and you really get the itchy trigger finger for the fast-forward remote button a lot.

I think had it been edited down to 90 minutes it could have been a fairly effective movie over all but as it is you really need to have a lot of patience with it, it's 2 hours long but it feels even longer.

And the second hour of the movie doesn't quite come together as well as I'm sure they intended, which is a shame because it does have a pretty cool plot which reminded me a bit of French horrors more so than American.

So yeah overall a strong 4 or a weak 5 from me.

Opening with a shocking sequence, treading an interesting path during the first act, taking an unexpected turn in the middle, dragging from that point onwards and finally drowning in its own mess by the time it nears its conclusion, Proxy may seem like a violent, unflinching, gore-filled horror but in actuality is a dull & bloated psychological horror filled with wooden characters.

The story of Proxy follows two women. First is Esther, a pregnant young lady who loses her child after being brutally attacked by an unidentified person while on her way home. Her road to recovery begins when she joins a support group where she meets & befriends Melanie, who claims that her husband & child died in a road accident. Things head for worse when Esther discovers Melanie's secret.

Co-written, co-produced & directed by Zach Parker, Proxy opens on such a promising note that watching it fall flat after a while was all the more frustrating. The downslide starts when the director decides to shift the focus from one character to another and once that happens, everything after it feels absurd & mundane. Parker also fails to provide a gripping plot or a set of characters worth caring for, and it runs way too long.

There isn't much to talk about its technical aspects for it didn't improve the experience by any means. There are a numerous poor decisions made here as far as camera-work, editing or background score goes. A pivotal scene is turned into an off-putting moment by its slow- mo photography that overstays its welcome & looks unintentionally funny. Editing is virtually absent in the second half. And the background score fails to blend with the narrative.

On an overall scale, Proxy is a highly mediocre horror film that falls utterly short of whatever it was aspiring to be, features weak plotting & questionable character motives, and doesn't even revel in extremity for the R-rated elements are heavily toned down after the gruesome opening act. Neither the cast nor their input stand out here although the actress who plays Esther Woodhouse was slowly getting the hang of her character and I'd have loved to see more of that instead of what Proxy had in store for me. An absolute waste of time!

This is an outstanding film, but it isn't for everyone.

It isn't a slasher-screamer-jump out of your seat flick. No no.

This film gained my shocked interest immediately, and to be frank it was held throughout the rest of the ride.

This is definitely not a film for anyone who has recently suffered a loss, in fact it should be viewed by the loss-experienced only when they have completely recovered and can look at anything. Preferably YEARS after they've fully recovered, because it will take you right back to the grimness of deep loss and the eternal question, why ?

For those who work in the field, or have seen others go through loss and grief, or have experienced counter-cultures on a personal basis, this film is an incredible insight into the workings of twisted minds, no matter be they rich, poor, in-between or socially minded misguideds who treat their clients like fodder.

Superbly acted, very well crafted and a sensible and life-like script and dialogue are to be rewarded with praise indeed.

Just be sure to be aware of your mental strength before you embark on a true roller-coaster ride that is definitely not by proxy....