Although bloated
in length, the strength of Proxy lies
in director Zack Parker’s willingness to allow the film to be carried by mood
rather than plot. In that regard, the first hour of the film is an enigma of
success. I was absolutely captivated, but the film’s momentum is hijacked by a
plot twist in the middle of the film and what worked for the first hour becomes
increasingly tiresome by the end of the 122 minute running time. Despite
several strands of various themes throughout the film, Parker never commits to
any of them enough for the answers to live up to questions raised. With all
criticism in consideration, even in failure I was more engaged by the unique
filmmaking Parker’s Proxy than all of
the safely mediocre horror movies of recent past.
Despite the
narrative moving at a leisurely pace, there are some horrifying sequences that
are nearly unbearable to watch. The only comparison that I can adequately make
is to Takashi Miike’s Audition, which
at least had the decency to build to its most shocking images. In contrast,
Proxy is anxiety-inducing from the ominous violin shrieking over the studio
logos, and the most horrifying moments of the film occur only minutes into the
film. This scene involves an attack against a young pregnant woman named Esther
Woodhouse (Alexia Rasmussen), who doesn’t seem normal even before the attack. She
doesn’t seem to have a connection with any other human being, which changes
after the trauma of her attack. In her first meeting at a support group she
meets Melanie (Alexa Havins), a new friend with dark secrets of her own.
More than
anything, Proxy is a character study,
and this ends up being the double-edged sword that both elevates and devastates
Parker’s narrative. The characters are all interesting, but there is not a
single one of them that is the slightest bit relatable to the audience. There
is also some difficulty with the acting. Although this is mostly in regards to
the smaller roles, even the leads have uneven moments which are more difficult
to take in such a performance-heavy narrative.
The Blu-ray
release of Proxy includes over
45-minutes of exclusive bonus features, from a 30-minute behind-the-scenes
featurette to extensive individual interviews with cast members.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
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