Proof (1991)

When my husband is out of town, I like to Tivo movies from the Independent Film Channel (I do it when he’s not home because he doesn’t like wasting hard drive space on anything that isn’t in high definition). When he was on a recent business trip, I checked out the 1991 movie proof, starring Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in The Matrix, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings movies) and Russell Crowe (Master and Commander, etc.).

It’s a very Australian movie about Martin, a blind photographer (Weaving) and his manipulative housekeeper Celia (Genevive Picot) who happens to be in love with him. Crowe plays Andy, a busboy in an Italian restaurant where Martin often eats.

Andy befriends Martin, visiting him in the park, describing his pictures to him, even taking him to a drive-in movie. Celia, meanwhile, becomes quite jealous of the attention Andy is getting and gets in the way in a way only a woman can (I can say that, being a woman).

This movie is dark and a little disturbing. Martin spends his life not trusting people because there is no proof that they are telling the truth. He is convinced his mother lied to him throughout his life as she described things to him (the reason: “because you can”). Whether she did or not is still up for debate at the end of the movie.

It’s really a strange and wonderful movie, and particularly interesting for those who like Crowe and Weaving in their more famous works (it’s a very early movie for both). It proves once again that randomly picking movies off a really great channel can provide you with great entertainment.

Four of five stars.