When it comes to Robin Williams, we are rarely disappointed, each character he portrays is memorable and leaves a distinctive image in our minds. He adopts the role, bringing the character to life in an believable manner, fitting the perfect emotion to the context of the story. ‘One hour Photo’ is no different. Romanek tells the sinister yet sympathetic pyschological account of a man trapped in a false reality he is convincing himself is real, torn between his desires and his monotonous routine, with a past he’s trying to escape. Whilst on first read of the plot, we would believe this to be just another generic story of a stalker and a cheating husband however, though the plot maybe a simple one, it is the structure and style in which it is told which gives this film such a classic and unique finish, the way in which the main character is developed in such depth creates a form of character study first and foremost.

‘One hour photo’ introduces Sy Parrish, a troubled man who spends his days in Savmart immersed in other peoples lives through the visual aid of the photos he develops. One family in particular has been a focus of his, the Yorkins, who have used Savmart for years. Sy has become so fixated on them, he replicates their photos for his own copies accumulating this perfect perception of an ideal family life. We witness Sy storing the photos as a collage on one of the walls in his home, a mass collection of images put on a pedestal with a single spotlight. This is the first piece of evidence we see that uncovers what Sy is all about and one of the most memorable scenes in the whole film. After years of extracting himself from his own reality and desiring to be in another, he is distraught when his fantasy is destroyed as he finds photos of Mr Yorkin cheating on his wife, the illusion he has built for himself has been taken away and he has been forced back into reality with which he cannot cope, with a child like attachment and mental stability he sets out for revenge.

Initial themes explored surround relationships and human interaction, a set of ideals amongst family and loneliness but as the film deepens we discover underlying subject matters of desire and voyeurism. ‘One hour photo’ touches on theories on our reality and our own creations of the reality we live in, the view that we build a fantasy to escape the traumas of ‘the real’ and that it is by escaping this real that we accept the reality we live in.

‘Denial keeps the undesired at bay’

We identify the reason Sy is how he is because of his traumatic childhood, he has repressed distressing feelings and by repressing those memories he has formed his imaginary – the idealistic scenario allowing him to desire. This desire derives from the lack in a persons life, it is by experiencing an absence that fantasies are formed.

‘Cinema doesn’t give you what you desire, it teaches you how to desire’

Sy’s fantasy, is the Yorkins, an illusion of perfection, a suburban cliche of the american dream, he has gained the trust of the family adopting the nickname ‘Sy the photo guy’. What seems to be a normal family thing to do, getting photos developed has been turned on its head in this film and it is that connection we have with the characters over the everyday tasks we all do that brings the creepy, unnerving feeling, that you never really know what anyone is capable of. Sy has built a life that prevents him from acknowledging his own lack in human interaction. He works for distraction and his distraction is working in an environment made to keep families happy, the bustling everyday situations that occur within a department store. We are also voyeurs into the ‘invisible peoples’ lives, those who bring their photos to the desk as well as the Yorkin’s, we see what Sy sees, holiday snaps, personal images, pet shots, all things that build the view of a perfect life. On the surface of this film is the visual representation of happiness but the real story being told is the one you cannot see.

The collaboration between film and photography in ‘One hour photo’ is smart and refreshing. The relationship between the two is clear and used effectively. Film was developed from photography and this movie does the same, using photography to build the film.

‘As film was born from photography, realists became protective of keeping the order of reality and claimed films should portray physical reality as photography does, as they ‘gravitate towards unstaged reality’

‘One hour photo’ flipped this idea to portray photos as a sense of fraud rather than an artifact of reality. Photography has always been a way of capturing real life in one moment but this film explores the idea that that one moment is posed and not the true representation of reality. Sy is subjected to a skewed vision of the lives of the people he places himself amongst and relies upon.

‘No one wants to take a photo of something they want to forget’

The role of photography throughout, has many functions, this movie incorporates all aspects of the technology acting as evidence, hobby, memories, identity, justification and as a weapon. Identity is a key topic addressed within the film, the notion that your family is your identity. In two scenes we see Sy with pictures of the Yorkins and a black and white portrait photo of a woman from which he bought at a car boot sale. He shows the images of the yorkins to a waitress who asks him if they are family photos and shows the picture of the woman to Mrs Yorkin. In both scenes we are witness to Sy attempting to validate the reality he has created because we have the impression that a situation/event is only worth something/credible if someone is told. He is justifying his life with photos. We see Sy following Mrs Yorkin taking he takes photos of her from a distance, and in a narration we hear ‘according to the oxford english dictionary snapshot was originally a hunting term’, creating a sense of unease at the notion that Sy is hunting the family. After discovering Mr Yorkin is cheating the use of the camera becomes a weapon, he makes Mr Yorkin feel as he did as a child, uncomfortable and vulnerable at the cameras expense.

The movie is saturated in photography related terms and visual characteristics complimenting the film immensely making for a unique and visually appealing watch. Amidst a sea of blue and white of the store Sy loses it and we observe his eyes mutate to red, an explosion of blood shatters the vision of exactness.

This strongly respresents the red eye that disfigures photos, an implication that Sy has lost the control he had but also the desire which comes from seeing is void. The store colours echo an overexposed photo in comparison to the dull low contrast image of Sy’s home. In the scenes of Sy outside Savmart he is immersed in bleak washed out colours with which he blends. An obvious representation of his emotions versus the rest of the world. These dramatic colour choices at each end of the spectrum create the element of surrealism with the overly perfected stacked shelves of the store and the prestine white walls, the ‘picture perfect’ projection of retail idealism contradicting the unstable mental state of the film.

‘One hour photo’ is by far more of an abstraction of character than a story piece, we become witnesses to main character, Sy Parrish’s secrets and emotions, both metaphorically and literally and learn to understand his quiet desperation. It is through cinematography and character actions that the surrealism and stylized visuals are composed in addition, the way Cronenweth echoes photography techniques makes the watch especially interesting for those with a passion for the media. Williams plays an outstanding role as protagonist Sy, he delivers in his ability to adapt to Sy’s precarious personality and demonstrate how quietness can be creepy. The films personal depth is intriguing furthermore there is no real conclusion as the film is largely based on exploration. It leaves us questioning the world around us and the people in it, the sinister atmosphere comes from the situations in the film that are such common ground for viewers. Romanek succeeds in his construction of a unforgettable cinematic classic, eerie and comprehensive, a creation of a ‘monster’ we struggle to determine how we should feel, sympathy or dislike.