BURIED PASSIONS: PROOF, UN COEUR EN HIVER
Passion between two people, of course, has always made for great drama thoughout the years, because it's always contained conflict. But what's not played out, when it comes to passion, can often be as compelling, if not more so, than what's right there on the surface. Of course, obsessions and buried passions can turn creepy, but they often are about every day feelings we have, so again, this can make good drama. Two examples of this are Jocelyn Moorehouse's PROOF and Claude Sautet's UN COEUR EN HIVER (A HEART IN WINTER). Both, of course, are foreign films (PROOF's from Australia), as foreign filmmakers seem more comfortable talking about the passions underneath the surface. Also, both films involve triangles.
PROOF is the first film from Moorehouse, and it shows in that it seems all carefully worked out. Sometimes, movies that seem this carefully drawn can admittedly seem a little arid, and this film does get that way at times. But it's an intriguing look at some unuusual relationships.
The main character is Martin (Hugo Weaving), a blind man who has lived his entire life on the suspicion that people lie to him all the time (when his mother told him people were raking outside when he was a child, and he didn't hear it, that was proof). He combats this by taking pictures, asking people to describe them, and then waiting to catch them in a lie. This isn't the only way he strikes out at people who assume his blindness means he's weak. He's not above, for example, pouring wine on the tablecloth - as if he had accidently missed his glass, instead of on purpose - to get attention.
Andy (Russell Crowe), an easygoing busboy who lives alone, happens to see this stunt and is amused by it. Soon, he befriends Martin, and Martin starts to learn that he can trust Andy. He even lets him describe the pictures he takes. This would all be well and good, except for the other person in Martin's life; Celia (Genevieve Picot), Martin's housekeeper and caretaker. Martin, of course, hates depending on anybody - until he meets Andy - and so never gives up a chance to taunt Celia. The fact that she loves him (though of course she never says so out loud) makes him act even more cruelly towards her. She in turn is possessive of Martin and manipulative, and when she sees Martin starting to trust Andy, she decides to seduce Andy, and get Martin to trap him in a lie.
Latest Articles