Proxy
(2013/MPI/IFC Midnight DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: C-
Zack
Parker's Proxy
(2013) tries to be a modern Hitchcock thriller but instead falls flat
with completely un-relatable characters and a script full of plot
holes. From the disc art, I was expecting a modern day Rosemary's
Baby-esque
thriller but the pregnancy is only a footnote in the setup of the
film. The crew did a fine job of shooting the film and even most of
the acting isn't half bad considering it is made up of mostly
unknowns (with the exception of Kristina Klebe who was the PJ Soles
character in Rob Zombie's Halloween
reboot), but the truth is that every single character is a terrible
human being.
The
narrative in the film switches main characters halfway through, not
unlike the narrative in A
Place Beyond the Pines
though this is a far less interesting style and concept than that
film. The first half is all about Esther Woodhouse (Alexia
Rasmussen) who is a few months away from pregnancy. Despite being
gay, Esther is a lonely person with nothing but a few dead fish and
an abusive girlfriend to keep her company in her lonely apartment.
After a successful doctor's appointment, Esther is knocked
unconscious in a dark alleyway and her baby brutally murdered by a
mysterious person (to whom we will discover the identity of later.)
After
waking up in a hospital room, Esther discovers that her baby is dead
and yet she has miraculously survived. Going back to her lonely
life, Esther soon finds her way to a woman's support group where she
runs in a cute blonde named Melanie (Alexa Havins), who tells her
that she has lost her husband and son in a car accident. After the
two become friends, Melanie notices Esther at the mall with a little
blonde haired boy and follows her home to see that her husband is
still alive. This is the where the film starts to make less and less
sense. After we meet Esther's abusive girlfriend, we discover how
empty Esther feels after she goes to the bar and willingly gives
herself to two strangers in a dirty bathroom. Realizing that she has
feelings for Melanie, Esther confronts her about it only to get
rejected and once this happens... Esther starts to go off the deep
end.
SPOILERS
ahead... starting here...
Esther
tracks down ole' Melanie at her home and brutally drowns her cute
adorable son only to get gunned down by Melanie's husband in a pretty
impressive piece of slow motion. This is the creative high point for
the film that is full nicely composed images and an appropriate score
that you can tell was carefully planned. After this occurrence, the
narrative switches to focus mainly on Melanie - a character that is a
little nutty (but it doesn't make sure or is ever explained WHY even
before the incident) and lies to those close to her. On the surface,
Melanie seeks a normal life but soon becomes in fear of her husband
and of Esther's violent Girlfriend who is lead on a trail to
Melanie's household. There are also several scenes of Melanie's
broody Husband who is now regretting that he didn't torture Esther
before killing her and a foolish plot point where he sees
himself hurting and torturing her for no explainable reason. The
third act really fails this film in that there are so many loose ends
that are tied up that even the last few shots don't give you a clear
concept of what the outcome is.
END
SPOILERS…
All
in all, Proxy
isn't necessary a horror film but more of a psychological thriller
that tries too hard to be like a Hitchcock, Kubrick, or De Palma film
but lacks the strong leads and character development to truly make it
work. It feels like the rough draft of a screenplay in a finished
film format. With a little more explanation on why Melanie is the
way she is or a good ending, and perhaps even a good fifteen - twenty
minutes cut out, this film could have been strong. What a shame.
The
picture quality on the disc is fine for the DVD format displayed in
standard definition that preserves the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the
film. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also fine for the format
but nothing to show your home entertainment system off with. There
are also subtitles in English SDH and Spanish.
The
Special Features are few but fine including Behind
The Scenes, Featurettes,
and a Trailer.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv
