PROOF
Australia, 1991, 86 minutes, Colour.
Hugo Weaving, Genevieve Picot, Russell Crowe.
Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse.
Proof is the first feature by Melbourne writer-director Jocelyn Moorhouse. Proof won the Best Film award for the AFI for the 1991 awards. It also won awards for the most popular film for the members, best screenplay and director, best actor, Hugo Weaving, and best supporting actor, Russell Crowe. (Genevieve Picot missed out on Best Actress to Sheila Florance for Paul Cox's A Woman's Tale.)
The film is a small psychological drama, focusing on the unlikely character of Martin, an isolated man in his early 30s, blind but with a hobby of taking photos. He has a housekeeper who torments him and whom he torments, Celia. He encounters a young friendly man, Andy, whom he asks to explain his photos to him. It is all a matter of truth, proof and trust. There are lies, betrayals, the finding out of the truth. There are also some flashbacks to Martin's childhood and his relationship of suspicion with his mother, Heather Mitchell.
The film is serious but has quite a number of comic touches as well. The film is impeccably acted, thoughtfully written and directed.
Moorhouse then went to America where she directed How to Make An American Quilt and A Thousand Acres.
1.The reputation of the film, the Cannes Film Festival, the AFI awards? The quality of this first feature?
2.The importance of the Melbourne settings: ordinary, Martin's house, the restaurant and the kitchen, the outside lane, the drive-in, the arts centre and concert hall, the park? The moody score by Waving, Not Drowning?
3.The perspective on the characters: the author with her feminine perspective on the characters? The enigmatic Celia? The strong drawing of the men?
4.The theme of blindness, not seeing, the need to see? Proof and trust? The truth and how to get at it? The handicap of blindness? Its compensations? The tone of the humour with the jokes about the blind - especially when Martin was driving and taken to the doctor?
5.The title, indication of themes? Martin's life as a demand for proof - and the importance of the ending?
6.The information given by the flashbacks: the portrait of Martin's mother, the relationship between the two, her love yet embarrassment, his feeling this, suspicions of her? Her description of the garden and the gardener? Telling him to hear rather than see? His touching her face and her waking up and rebuking him? The absent father, going to live with his grandmother? Her telling him that she was going to die and his not believing? Going to the coffin, fingering it, fearing that it could be empty? His finally going to the cemetery, the reading out of the information on the grave? Her photo on the mantelpiece and Andy's description of her, of him? The final photo at the age of 32 - over 20 years of mistrust before asking for a description of the contents of the photo? The final image of the young Martin going to the window and fingering it?
7.The blend of the serious and the humorous, irony?
8.The portrait of Martin: his isolated and clipped manner, his age, living alone, his dog and the reliance on the dog? Walking along the street, the incident with the cat, going into the restaurant and not being served, deliberately pouring the wine on the tablecloth - and not paying because not getting his dinner? The encounter with Andy, the questions about the cat, going to the vet? The immediate friendship, taking photos of the cat at the vet, the collage of all the people at the vet? The pattern of his life? Celia and her housekeeping, coming on the wrong days, sitting alone, trying to embarrass him? The mutual taunts? Her placing obstacles in his way, hiding things? The talk and the taunting? His realisation of her love for him or not? The mutual obsessions? His considering her in the tradition of his mother and therefore expecting her to lie? The fact that Celia did lie? Her demands for money, her explaining her work? His being photographed on the toilet and his embarrassment? His going to the concert with Celia, the exhilaration of the music and his gratitude? At her house, the food, her sexual advances, his alarmed reaction? Lost on the street, her driving him home? His brittle manner, his discovery of the truth about her, the photograph in the dog's collar? Catching Andy and Celia at home, his final talking with her and firing her - and her putting another obstacle at the door?
9.Martin and Andy, their friendship, the photos at the vet, Andy and the visits to the restaurant, his descriptions, a man easy to trust, Martin's trusting him? Going to the drive-in, the descriptions of Blood Moon? Andy going to the snack bar, Martin alone, exploring the car, staring at the people in the next car, their misinterpreting him, the violence, accusations of homosexuality? The bond with Andy and his need for him? The driving away from the drive-in, the pursuit by the police, Martin holding the wheel, pretending that he had gone blind, the examination by the doctor? The laughing at the jokes? Introducing Andy to Celia through the photo, in real life? The photo in the park, the absences of the dog? More trust? Andy warning him about not believing him, the incident in the park and the photography of the leaf at his foot? Going to the vet and discovering the truth? Catching Andy and feeling betrayed by him? Andy avoiding him - yet the final visit, the final trust? Knowing the truth and giving Andy the photo? The ability of Andy to make him laugh? Celia to make him weep?
10.The reasons for Martin's transformation? From within, from Celia, from Andy?
11.Celia and her enigmatic personality, her explanation of herself as an orphan and having this in common with Martin? Working for him for three and a half years? The nature of her domestic jobs? Seeing herself as the equivalent of a wife? Demanding extra money? Baking the cake? Her own birthday and her talk about being a girl and a woman? Her antipathy towards the dog? Turning up on the wrong days, sitting in the dark waiting for him to take his clothes off and embarrass him? The obstacles? Her seriousness - and the times that she smiled? Pleasure or cruelty? Seeing Andy in the photos, finding one to build up a collage of him? In the park, holding the dog, disappearing? Her seductive attitudes towards Andy? The photo and his lies? Her pursuit of Martin, the night out at the concert hall, the sexual advances, the failure? Her room covered with his photos? Putting the photo in the leash, setting up Andy, the sexual encounter? Her reaction to being sacked, wanting a kiss? The writing, the enigma of her personality, the bizarre behaviour? Her obsessions, love, wanting to be tormented by Martin?
12.Andy as the ordinary young man, explanation of the disapproval of his parents, bosses criticising him for taking jobs, his trustworthy or untrustworthy face? Working in the restaurant, playing with the cat, seeing Martin, thinking the cat was dead, going to the vet, explanations, enjoying the photos? The proposition to explain the photos, his not wanting any money? Enjoying the explanations, learning about Martin's abilities to hear, Martin's explanations about filling glasses etc? Taking him to the drive-in, describing the movie, the fight with the neighbouring car? The police, the sympathetic policeman introducing himself by his Christian name because of the blindness? Seeing Celia in the photographs? Meeting her, her taking the dog, trying to run out of the photograph? The question of truth and trust? His explanation that not everybody was trustworthy, that lies were told - even though Martin was truth personified and expected everybody to tell the truth? The sexual encounter with Celia, believing that he loved her and she loved him? The embarrassment of being caught? Martin's absence from the restaurant, his return, explanation of trustworthiness? His being found trustworthy and Martin giving him the photo - and his being able to restore Martin's ability to trust?
13.Incidental characters and vignettes: the sympathetic vet, the sympathetic policeman, the types at the drive-in, the careless waitress at the restaurant, the other customers at the vet?
14.The strength of the episode at the drive-in and the comparison with the experience at the concert hall?
15.A psychological drama and interactions? Trust, truth and proof?
