Proof
I had never intended to go out of my way to see it, but once it was on, I watched through and enjoyed it until the end.
Originally written for the stage, the film tells the story of Catherine, the daughter of a genius mathematician who was on the verge of great discovery before his death. The film takes place in two time periods: before, and after the death of her father. A notebook is discovered after the death of the mathematician that may be a groundbreaking proof regarding prime numbers. The question is: who wrote it? Father, or daughter?
I think what made me enjoy this film was its ability to make me feel uncomfortable. I have a hard time watching siblings fight, for some reason, or marriages crumble (probably because my parents divorced when I was younger). This story focuses heavily on the relationships of Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) to her father (Anthony Hopkins) and Catherine and her sister (Hope Davis). Their ability to create realistic characters, a realistic family, really made me feel like I was watching something real. I think that’s one of the most important aspects a film can have: relation to the audience.
A somewhat side character, Hal (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), added a bit of outside drama to the film, giving it somewhat of a global feeling, rather than just a family conflict. Mental illness can be challenging, regardless of who it involves. In this case, not only does it affect family, but Catherine’s ability to make new friends, and even fall in love.
The performances of the actors are solid. I did think that Hopkins’ character was somewhat eccentric, or perhaps even overplayed. But I think it helps when creating a character that is plagued with mental illness. Overall, I think the cast and crew did an excellent job in telling a story about a genius father, and his two daughters’ lives left in the aftermath of his death.
I’m going to keep it short here, and just suggest that you check this film out. For me, it was difficult, and had to excuse myself a few times to get something to drink due to the nature of the family fighting. That by no means suggests that this is a difficult watch. I think that the skill of the actors, the strength of director John Madden (of course, not the 213 year old football announcer) and tight writing made this film very enjoyable. Check it out if you’re browsing Stars, and see it on. Else, it’s a good Tuesday night rental. 7 of 10 B
Originally written for the stage, the film tells the story of Catherine, the daughter of a genius mathematician who was on the verge of great discovery before his death. The film takes place in two time periods: before, and after the death of her father. A notebook is discovered after the death of the mathematician that may be a groundbreaking proof regarding prime numbers. The question is: who wrote it? Father, or daughter?
I think what made me enjoy this film was its ability to make me feel uncomfortable. I have a hard time watching siblings fight, for some reason, or marriages crumble (probably because my parents divorced when I was younger). This story focuses heavily on the relationships of Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) to her father (Anthony Hopkins) and Catherine and her sister (Hope Davis). Their ability to create realistic characters, a realistic family, really made me feel like I was watching something real. I think that’s one of the most important aspects a film can have: relation to the audience.
A somewhat side character, Hal (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), added a bit of outside drama to the film, giving it somewhat of a global feeling, rather than just a family conflict. Mental illness can be challenging, regardless of who it involves. In this case, not only does it affect family, but Catherine’s ability to make new friends, and even fall in love.
The performances of the actors are solid. I did think that Hopkins’ character was somewhat eccentric, or perhaps even overplayed. But I think it helps when creating a character that is plagued with mental illness. Overall, I think the cast and crew did an excellent job in telling a story about a genius father, and his two daughters’ lives left in the aftermath of his death.
I’m going to keep it short here, and just suggest that you check this film out. For me, it was difficult, and had to excuse myself a few times to get something to drink due to the nature of the family fighting. That by no means suggests that this is a difficult watch. I think that the skill of the actors, the strength of director John Madden (of course, not the 213 year old football announcer) and tight writing made this film very enjoyable. Check it out if you’re browsing Stars, and see it on. Else, it’s a good Tuesday night rental. 7 of 10 B
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