How sad is this?

Great Film overall

Good concept, poorly executed.

Brilliant and touching

When I heard that this story involved a blind photographer my first reaction was, "I don't get it." So, one reason I watched this was to see how that premise could play out in any realistic way. And it does. Martin (Hugo Weaving) is the photographer; he takes photos and has people describe them to him. Dating to the relationship with his mother in childhood Martin has an industrial strength case of distrust.Celia (Geneviève Picot) is Martin's housekeeper and the relationship between Martin and Celia is the central focus of the movie. We don't get too far into it before we realize that Celia is deeply in love with Martin, a love that he does not reciprocate. This situation seems to be agreeable to both parties--in fact they appear to get a thrill out of thwarting each other. For example, Celia moves objects around the house just so Martin will crash into them.The game that Martin and Celia are playing is thrown off center when Andy (a young Russell Crowe) befriends Martin, and that is when things get interesting. Andy finds Martin's hobby curious and is happy to describe the photos for him. How Celia uses her sexuality to deal with her jealousy, how Martin uses his photos to deal with his trust problems, and how poor, innocent Andy deals with being sucked into the vortex of this battle of wills is what makes the movie engaging. It reminds me of how the innocent young professor and his wife were pulled into the private war that George and Martha were fighting in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"I had a little problem with the casting. It was hard to see what Celia found in Martin that would create an obsessive love, but I suppose in the area of sex and love anything is possible. And it was difficult for me to believe that the eminently handsome and likable Andy could have been alone in the world, so alone as to befriend Martin.

Australian writer and director Jocelyn Moorhouse's directorial debut which was honored with six Australian Film Institute Awards in 1991 and the Golden Camera at the 44th Cannes Film Festival in 1991, tells the story about 32-year-old Martin who lives a very quiet life in a suburb with his dog Bill. Martin has been blind since the day he was born, something that has given him severe trust issues and motivated him to take photographs which he uses to reassure himself and to have proof that the things he senses are the same as what other people see. One day he encounters Andy, a young kitchen hand who takes an interest in him. Andy's genuine kindness appeals to Martin and for the first time in his life, Martin asks another person to describe his photos for him. Martin and Andy's friendship is beginning to evolve, but when Martin's long time housekeeper Celia who is in love with him learns that she is no longer Martin's sole confidant, she becomes jealous.This mysteriously atmospheric study of character, an outstanding feature film debut which was compassionately written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and shot in Melbourne, has an efficient score by former Australian band Not Drowning, Waving and is a dialog-driven love triangle with great emotional depth which gives an insightful depiction of blindness. Captivating acting performances by Australian actors Hugo Weaving, Russell Crowe and Australian actress Genevieve Picot and commendable and essential use of visuals by amongst others cinematographer Martin McGrath and Jocelyn Moorhouse underlines this Australian independent film which is an engaging, perceptive and humorous psychological drama about trust, friendship and love.

For months, my movie-going experience had been reduced to blockbusters filled with explosions and bad one-liners. Then I rented Proof, and forgot why I ever wanted to see a car blow up on a screen.This is a very simple, very down-to-earth film. It focuses on three characters - a blind man convinced that everyone will take advantage of his handicap; a lonely woman who does not realize that people cannot be blackmailed or sabotaged into falling in love; and a young, ordinary guy who is trapped between the two. Their story is primarily that of trust, but it is also about absolutes and why humanity needs to overcome them.Although there is nothing earth-shattering about the scenography itself, the film is beautifully shot. The acting is wonderful. Weaving is absolutely convincing as a blind man, and Crowe is so charmingly average and regular that it is hard to believe that this is the same person who gave Hando and Maximus their sublime intensity. There is depth, levity, refined sarcasm, and crude humor - something for everyone. I definitely - and highly - recommend watching it.

This film was on cable TV in Los Angeles. It caught my eye because of the contrast of a very young Hugo Weaving and the man we've seen in later films. The relationship he has with his "housekeeper" had me staring at the t.v., then slowly sitting down engrossed in the film. Only later when he appeared on screen did I even know Russell Crowe was in the film. He, too, was quite young and rather a sweet character, although he's apparently supposed to be a troublemaker. He's very easy with Weaving's character, very kind, but real.Juxtaposed with the blind photographer having his life recorded in a series of snapshots (that others have to describe to him), is this story being revealed largely through visuals - because he is blind the dialog often has little to do with the activity that is going on around him. We learn more from the non verbal than the verbal. He doesn't have that luxury.His deadpan (because he has no idea what's going on) is priceless.*Spoiler* - For example, when he is at the housekeeper's house surrounded by photos of himself - We are dumbstruck; he is clueless. His lack of reaction makes the evidence of her obsession all the more creepy.In the end, the movie is about trust, and about the risk we take when we trust other people. And about the isolation that we face when we don't.