David O'ConnellMathematics gone mad in Proof
June 10th 2008 04:52
Anthony Hopkins is Robert, one of the greatest mathematical minds of his time, but he's suffering from a worsening dementia, as we discover through the many flashbacks after his death in Proof (2005), an insightful glimpse into strictly human failings despite the obsession with numbers which forms the basis of the story’s narrative.
Directed by John Madden and adapted by David Auburn from his own Pulitzer Prize winning play with the help of Rebecca Miller, the film never feels restricted by its stage origins and is superbly acted, especially by Anthony Hopkins and Gywneth Paltrow as his daughter Catherine. It’s a story about the failings of human relations but is also a mystery of sorts as the authorship of a new groundbreaking piece of work is drawn into question.
After Robert’s death, Catherine is left to pick through the remnants of his life in their Chicago home but she can barely motivate herself to consider the massive volume of work he’s left behind because nearly all of it stems from his declining later years when in the grip of his madness; she has mental demons of her own to battle as well.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Hal, a devoted student of Robert, who's being allowed to undertake the daunting task of sorting through his notebooks, motivated by ultimate faith in his mentor and the hope of discovering something worthwhile - a final glimpse of past genius which he may have conceived in one of the rare moments of perfect clarity in his final years.
Catherine, a highly regarded mathematician as well, produces a notebook of her own. She has kept it in her father’s drawer, and claims that it’s her own work. It’s soon revealed to be an astonishing new breakthrough in the field of prime numbers. The film never goes into any great detail about this discovery of course, not only because it’s irrelevant ultimately, but because it’s preferable to actually keep your audience awake during films!!
The central mystery becomes whether Catherine really did write it, or is she just trying to pass off her father’s final brilliant contribution to the field as her own?
Catherine apathy and mental turmoil, only increased by her father’s passing, mean we can’t be sure of her authorship and she has two very strong doubters in Hal – who she begins a tentative relationship with – and her domineering sister, Claire (Hope Davis), who swoops in from her high-powered life in New York to take control of her father’s funeral and Catherine’s life in a sense by deciding to sell the family home.
Paltrow is superb as the deeply troubled daughter who fears for her own sanity and has always lived in the gigantic shadow of her famous father. She gives a nuanced, convincing performance and after some of her dodgy choices of the last decade, it was great to have her talent confirmed here. It’s probably no coincidence that it’s for her Shakespeare in Love director again. I think she's only ever been better in the brilliant Sylvia, a biopic of another tortured woman in Sylvia Plath.
Anthony Hopkins is in peak form as well, and one of his last scenes - when a major revelation is finally exposed - is incredibly sad and heart-breaking. It’s probably the key scene in the entire film and hard to watch, so painful are its ramifications. Hope Davis as Claire is also very good – the two sisters are such polar opposites and their scenes together resound with believability.
There are no neat resolutions in Proof which is one of the things I admired most about it. Ultimately it’s a compelling portrait of a fractured family and their complex relationships, and one which doesn’t avoid painful truths in exposing their inherently human frailties, despite a life surrounded by nothing but numbers.
Directed by John Madden and adapted by David Auburn from his own Pulitzer Prize winning play with the help of Rebecca Miller, the film never feels restricted by its stage origins and is superbly acted, especially by Anthony Hopkins and Gywneth Paltrow as his daughter Catherine. It’s a story about the failings of human relations but is also a mystery of sorts as the authorship of a new groundbreaking piece of work is drawn into question.
After Robert’s death, Catherine is left to pick through the remnants of his life in their Chicago home but she can barely motivate herself to consider the massive volume of work he’s left behind because nearly all of it stems from his declining later years when in the grip of his madness; she has mental demons of her own to battle as well.
Catherine and Robert...........Gywneth and Anthony are magnificent.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Hal, a devoted student of Robert, who's being allowed to undertake the daunting task of sorting through his notebooks, motivated by ultimate faith in his mentor and the hope of discovering something worthwhile - a final glimpse of past genius which he may have conceived in one of the rare moments of perfect clarity in his final years.
Catherine, a highly regarded mathematician as well, produces a notebook of her own. She has kept it in her father’s drawer, and claims that it’s her own work. It’s soon revealed to be an astonishing new breakthrough in the field of prime numbers. The film never goes into any great detail about this discovery of course, not only because it’s irrelevant ultimately, but because it’s preferable to actually keep your audience awake during films!!
The central mystery becomes whether Catherine really did write it, or is she just trying to pass off her father’s final brilliant contribution to the field as her own?
Catherine begins an awkward relationship with Hal
Catherine apathy and mental turmoil, only increased by her father’s passing, mean we can’t be sure of her authorship and she has two very strong doubters in Hal – who she begins a tentative relationship with – and her domineering sister, Claire (Hope Davis), who swoops in from her high-powered life in New York to take control of her father’s funeral and Catherine’s life in a sense by deciding to sell the family home.
Paltrow is superb as the deeply troubled daughter who fears for her own sanity and has always lived in the gigantic shadow of her famous father. She gives a nuanced, convincing performance and after some of her dodgy choices of the last decade, it was great to have her talent confirmed here. It’s probably no coincidence that it’s for her Shakespeare in Love director again. I think she's only ever been better in the brilliant Sylvia, a biopic of another tortured woman in Sylvia Plath.
Catherine is comforted by sister Claire (Hope Davis)
Anthony Hopkins is in peak form as well, and one of his last scenes - when a major revelation is finally exposed - is incredibly sad and heart-breaking. It’s probably the key scene in the entire film and hard to watch, so painful are its ramifications. Hope Davis as Claire is also very good – the two sisters are such polar opposites and their scenes together resound with believability.
There are no neat resolutions in Proof which is one of the things I admired most about it. Ultimately it’s a compelling portrait of a fractured family and their complex relationships, and one which doesn’t avoid painful truths in exposing their inherently human frailties, despite a life surrounded by nothing but numbers.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Artist Quirk
Paltrow is a strange actor, she very rarely projects much warmth, a bit like Nicole Kidman
Comment by David O'Connell
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Anonymous
Since then I have never watched anything involving Gweneth Paltrow..........
Steve
Comment by David O'Connell
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