ABOUT
LONLINESS
Writer/Director Mark Romanek said his inspiration for ONE HOUR
PHOTO emerged out of "a desire to make a contemporary film in
the mode of the "lonely-man' films of the 70s." His
influences were drawn from films like "The Conversation," "The
Tenant," "Taxi Driver" and "The Passenger."
"And
disgusted," Koffler adds, "because everyone has experienced Sy
moments; the inability to connect with other people, of always
being a little off, that kind of loneliness. The trick to Sy is
making him sympathetic, without making him saccharin and that's
something that Robin's really managed."
ABOUT
THE DARK SIDE OF A NICE GUY
Williams was enthusiastic about the unusual character. "I'm glad
they sent it to me to begin with." He explains, "People always
say, 'Oh, he plays such nice people.' This man is nice, but with
a dark side. It's been exciting to play that. He does things that
are creepy, bizarre. It's interesting stuff to inhabit a real
and very, very fascinating character."
Williams
adds, "We talked about the character and that he views himself
not as an evil character, just as a man who is righteous in his
own way. A man who views himself almost like he is doing good,
in a bizarre way."
APPEARANCE
VERSUS REALITY
This duality of perception - the Yorkins' appearance vs. their
reality - also held intrigue for Nielsen. "I thought it interesting
to play a character who has both this exterior side, which is
the fantasy side, if you will. She is a housewife who, on the
outside, looks as if she has the perfect life, and at the same
time, we get to see the private side of her, which is anything
but perfect. I love the dichotomy," Nielsen says.
And
Sy is certainly a character on the outside looking in. Nielsen
observes, "What struck me was that feeling when you're 15 years
old and you think, 'If I could just be that person, or have that
money or whatever, then my life would be perfect.' Then you grow
up and realize that there is no such thing as perfect. That is
one of the things Sy needs to realize."
THE
NEED FOR LOVE
Playing the pivotal role of Detective Van Der Zee - the determined,
yet compassionate police detective who tracks Sy down - is critically
acclaimed actor Eriq La Salle ("ER"). La Salle sees the film as
an exploration of "what it means to be damaged, what it means
to be lonely and alone, what it means to be in such need of basic
love that you have to create an imaginary world for yourself and
that you have to kidnap someone else's life just to feel whole
and complete." He continues, "It's one of those films that should
really make us all count our blessings."
THE
TRANSFORMING POWER OF EXPERIENCE
As for Williams' own take on the course his character chooses:
"He lives alone because of an inability to connect, to be the
warmest guy in the world. He's disconnected on some levels, hence
the fascination with precision. Does he come away a better human
being? He's a different human being because of the things that
have happened to him. He acted something out very much from within
himself. I don't think he's the same person. In the end, it's
not the same man."
