Proxy is the kind of movie that is difficult to write about. It goes off into all sorts of directions that you don't really expect plot-wise. I mean, it's a pretty grounded film (in the respect that they don't end up in another dimension or vampires don't show up or anything crazy like that), and part of what makes the film interesting is just going along for the ride. So this entry will probably be a little on the rambling/non-specific side...
The first 15 minutes or so are just staggeringly depressing/shocking. A *very* pregnant Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) is having what has to be her last ultrasound before giving birth. She doesn't seem terribly excited about the prospect of becoming a mother, as she is just being kind of mopey and detached in the examination room. On her way to the bus, she is viciously attacked. This being the first time I yelled "JESUS!" - the second time being a few minutes later when they show the operation happening to try and save the baby. It's brief, but man... So it's pretty fucked up right off the bat. And it continues to be a pretty fucked up movie. Esther, having no real friends or family to lean on, goes to a support group for parents who have lost their children. There, she meets Melanie (Alexa Havins) who has lost her son to a drunk driver, but doesn't quite have the same dejected look as everyone else. They form a bond, and then a bunch of depressing and crazy stuff happens that I don't want to spoil.
So, I won't get into any more plot or anything like that. It's worth checking out if you can stomach two hours of kind of aggressively messed up stuff. Even though Proxy may go overboard with its content at times, the way it's shot is pretty straight-forward (a couple of slo-mo shots are about as experimental as it gets). But it works - it lets the action onscreen do the heavy lifting. It seems to be going for an oppressive, suffocatingly bleak atmosphere, and it mostly succeeds in that regard. A few other thoughts:
- I read one review that suggested director/co-writer Zack Parker is going for black humor in Proxy, but I just didn't get that in the least. There are a couple of times where I sort of did the "laugh out of self defense while wincing" thing, but I certainly didn't feel like it was going for any laughs. It's a really, really, bleak movie. The only thing that's stopping it from being unwatchably depressing is that there isn't a convincing sense of reality about the main characters in the film.
- It's a pretty female-oriented movie. Three of the four main characters are women: Esther, Melanie, and Anika (Kristina Klebe), Esther's petty criminal girlfriend. It's kind of a rarity for horror movie, but the nature of the story (and what happens to them) raises some interesting questions about how the film deals with gender and sexuality. It would be spoilerish to get into here... but there is certainly a lot to chew on.
- The sole male lead is Patrick (Joe Swanberg). If you aren't a fan and want to see him go through a lot of shit (mentally, not physically), this is the film for you. I'd bet 95 percent of his screen time has him in anguish.
- I read some comparisons to Inside. And yeah, Proxy is a very intense film dealing with pregnancy, and you get about the same levels of "extremeness." I would guess if you liked one you would probably like the other. Yet Proxy ends up being less of a horror film and more along the lines of a revenge/crime type film, with some nasty stuff in there that automatically qualifies it as "horror." And it is certainly gross at times. I think you have to have a pretty strong stomach to get into this thing.
- The characters didn't feel very believable to me. I just didn't really buy into their motivations and actions. But maybe I just don't know enough bat-shit crazy people. And if the people *were* believable, Proxy would probably just be too sad to watch.
- There is some interesting insight into the grieving process. At the support group where Esther goes after her attack, one character says that a really tough thing is that "almost everyone around you forgets it almost immediately." And I've often wondered that about people who have lost someone tragically. Everyone else feels bad for a few minutes, then just goes about their daily business, while I assume they are still grieving/reliving it, even if you can't see it on their face. While Proxy is not going to be remembered for it's subtlety or respectfulness, I thought the grieving process was treated appropriately.
- Proxy does feel a bit exploitative at times. Some scenes seem to just be in there just to provoke a reaction... and if you have a problem with child murder, I guess you shouldn't watch it.
But overall, I think Proxy is well worth a watch. You have to bear in mind that it's pretty intense, never really fun, and admirably bleak. But it's well made and certainly swings for the fences.
I would recommend this film.
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