Empirical truth is something that is observable, objective, and verifiable. However, without the ability to observe, one must find other means to obtain a set of observations– repeated, consistent answers to eventually parse out the reality. One must obtain proof. Proof is an Australian drama about a blind photographer named Martin, who uses his photos to get multiple viewpoints of what was present in that specific moment. Writer-director Jocelyn Moorhouse brilliantly uses that idea to craft a character that wields objectivity in order to protect himself and keep himself distant, as seen through the way he instantly trusts Andy due to his straightforward demeanor, and the way he attempts to drive away his housekeeper Celia to get her to see the worst of him, instead of the idealized, perhaps fetishized, image she creates of him. Proof challenges the photograph as a medium of truth, as well as the idea of complete honesty and trust in another person.
Martin, a young blind photographer, is divided between his friendship with restaurant worker Andy and the exclusive love that Celia—who is terribly jealous of this new friendship—has for him.
Distrustful of everyone around him, Martin doesn’t immediately believe other people’s accounts of objects he can’t see due to blindness, so he takes photographs to compare what they said. The only person in his life is Celia, his housekeeper, until he meets Andy, an agreeable dishwasher with a talent for description.
The depiction of blindness isn’t perfect– Hugo Weaving isn’t blind and Martin’s trust issues and the explanation of how he uses other senses are a tad exaggerated. Still, the film doesn’t go through the usual cliché on depicting blindness, as it’s more interested in the dynamics of the love triangle rather than making an overarching statement about disability.
If they remake this for some reason, can we not shy away from the queer elements?
Venice
1 nomination
Golden Globes
1 nomination
