Proof
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie like this, that is, a movie that can make me sit straight, listen a little too attentively, and unknowingly produce a smirk on my lips while I nod every so often in approval or agreement or sheer amazement at what is being said or shown.
I think Proof is brilliant because it works on so many levels. The story is basically about the quest for a formula, an elusive proof to a mathematical problem — but throw in a genius/lunatic (a thin line, really) father + a possibly equally brilliant/loony daughter — and you have the quest for several other "proofs" occuring within the story. Prove that Hopkins has healed, prove that Gwyneth solved the equation, prove that Glyenhall (spell that?) wants to sincerely help and not simply steal etc. But the truly great thing about this movie is that — alongside the questions it asks and the uncertainty it creates, it also provides you with a simple, elegant answer: FAITH.
It was the daughter’s faith in her father that provided him the support he needed while he clung on to sanity; and it will be the boyfriend’s faith in his girlfriend that will allow her to cling on to hers. There is no guarantee, no "proof" that anyone will get better, but faith allows the journey to become more tolerable. I think that is a brilliant thesis for the movie, because (unlike the movie "Contact" that offered a similar thesis but suffered because it’s religious undertones made the whole assertion preachy) it presents faith as a way to cope during difficult times, and not the solution itself.
The movie ends with Paltrow and Glyenhall going over / reviewing the proof to check if it is really correct. It is a brilliant ending because the burden of "proof" is now passed to the audience. In the end, the audience is engaged — which I think is what a movie always aims for. It is now up to the audience to believe (or not) that the mathematical proof is correct, that Paltrow can heal from her mental instability, that Glyenhall will be there to see his girlfriend through. But there are no certainties. And in real life, there never is.
Lastly, I have to mention how delicious the script is. I love the conversations! Paraphrased:
Sister: "You’ll like this new shampoo"
"Made of chemicals?"
"No it’s organic"
"And so? Haven’t you heard of Organic Chemistry?"
I love it. Period.
