Proof

Stars: Hugo Weaving (The Right-Hand Man, For Love Alone), Genevieve Picot, Russell Crowe (The Crossing). What a mischievous and utterly delightful fresh breath of cinematic air is Australian writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse's Proof ! Hugo Weaving stars as Martin, a blind man who mistrusts people so much that he takes photographs of everything for "proof," which he then asks his housekeeper Celia (Picot) to describe for him. Unfortunately, Celia is not the most trustworthy person around (she does have a tendency to rearrange Martin's furniture--actually this is Celia's strange way of trying to get Martin to notice that she's madly in love with him). When Martin meets Andy (Crowe), the pair form an immediate bond, and Andy takes over the picture describing duties (Martin labels the photos in Braille with a hand labeler). Ultimately, Celia and Andy (who have previously only seen each other in pictures) come face to face and the relationships between the three principles quickly reach volatile proportions. Proof is unquestionably one of the best films of the year and one of the most original of any year. In addition to its hilarious aspects (the scene in which Andy and Martin go to the drive-in and Andy describes a slasher flick to Martin is priceless), Proof is also an absorbing look at the way a blind person "sees" the world. Outstanding. Audience: Hopefully great word of mouth will propel interest in this charming sleeper that deserves a wide audience. (<i>R. Pitman</i>)</p><p>[DVD Review--November 16, 2004--New Line, 90 min., R, $19.98--Making its debut on DVD, 1991's Proof is presented with a solid if somewhat soft digital transfer and DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo sound options, as well as a pair of commentary tracks by director Moorhouse and Weaving. In addition, there's a slideshow featurette of Martin's photos, and a handful of trailers. Bottom line: kudos to New Line for releasing this excellent film on DVD. Highly recommended.]