ART HOUSE OFFERINGS: Proof

PROOF (2005)

My Rating: **** (out of *****)
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis
Director: John Madden

My Review:

Films based upon plays can be a very risky venture. They can take the power and emotion of a stage drama and bring it to cinematic life, or they can squelch it with awkward staging, using the medium to mute the original rather than to enhance it. Proof, as it turns out, takes the raw material of David Auburn's award-winning play (who adapted the screenplay along with Rebecca Miller, Arthur's daugther) and creates something fresh, edgy, and moving, making its transition from stage to screen one to celebrate.

Catherine Llewelyn (Paltrow) is the youngest daughter and primary caregiver to her father (Anthony Hopkins, superb as usual), a brilliant mathematician who is suffering from an unnamed mental illness. At her father's passing, Catherine's older sister Claire (the remarkable Hope Davis, who works wonders with a largely thankless role) comes to town to help her sort through the aftermath. Hal (Gyllenhaal), an academic assistant to Catherine's father, also appears on the scene, connecting with Catherine in an intimate way while also scouring her father's work in search of material he can publish.

The real tension centers around Catherine's fear that she has inherited her father's madness as well as his genius, Claire's assumption of the former, and Hal's uncertainty about the latter. The story unfolds in a clever construction of flashbacks, adding an element of genuine suspense as the true nature of Catherine's condition (and that of the other characters as well) is examined and, at last, revealed. John Madden (who also helmed the overrated Shakespeare In Love and the underseen Ethan Frome) exhibits a masterful hand at getting the most from his actors while avoiding the majority of pitfalls that come with translating intense, talky melodrama into kinetic yet literate cinema.

Though the direction and writing are skillfully done, the performances by the four actors are truly what make Proof work. As mentioned, Hopkins is in fine form as the demented father. Though the script doesn't create any sympathy for Claire, the transcendant Hope Davis brings her as close to being human as she can. Gyllenhaal makes Hal extremely likable, sometimes a little more than he should be, but his presence gives a little lift to the sometimes heavy and somber proceedings. However, Gwyneth Paltrow is the real revelation here. She infuses Catherine with a palpable fear, anger, grief, and brokeness that spill out in every scene and draw us to this terrified young woman, even as we see all of her flaws. This is clearly Paltrow's best work to date. She gets every note right. Her work is a pure joy to watch, and this time, the actress deserves that Oscar nomination that she'll probably get.

The subject matter is yet another of Proof's great assets. As a social worker who deals closely with family caregivers on a regular basis, I am very pleased to announce that Proof brings some bracingly truthful insights into the lives, pains, and joys of these underappreciated and largely unrecognized persons. As with 1996's Marvin's Room, the film takes us into the isolation, the guilt, the anger, and the selfless love and compassion of these remarkable human beings. Also, the message that childlike trust is much more important and meaningful than gaining impirical evidence is a simple but incredibly profound one, and Proof (the title's irony completely withstanding) conveys this truth with firm conviction and remarkable grace.

PG-13, for language, mature thematic elements, and a scene of sexuality