I chose Proxy to be the final film in my festival for a few reasons. One – it looked pretty dark. Two – Colin Geddes had programmed it for the Vanguard section of the fest. Three – I couldn’t really find out much detail about it, which meant that it was likely to surprise me. When Colin introduced the film at the premiere, he said that it had caught him off-guard more than once when he first saw it, and when you consider how long that man has been programming Midnight Madness, that is really saying something!
I ended up being very glad that I knew almost nothing about the plot or the film itself going in, so I am going to try and keep my review as vague as possible, while also hopefully conveying how much this flick freaking rocks.
As Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) walks home from a doctor’s appointment, only a week or so away from giving birth to her first child, she is attacked visciously in an alley and left there to die. Esther survives the brutal attack, however, and shortly after leaving the hospital, she seeks comfort and community in a local support group. It’s there that she meets Melanie (Alexa Havins), and the pair form an unlikely friendship, which evolves very quickly into the kind of close bond they both need.
However, a chance encounter sets Esther’s world careening out of control once again, and before long, even the audience has trouble determining what – and who – they can really trust.
Proxy takes so many twists and turns that even when you try to expect the unexpected, it still manages to knock you sideways a few times. Parker’s deft direction allows for such intimate closeness with a character one moment, and then sweeps you back out for a glance at the larger picture the next. It’s the kind of film that you need to see more than once, just to make sure you understood everything. By the end, all you really know is that nothing was what it seemed, and that’s where Proxy’s simple brilliance really lies. The two leading ladies are outstanding – both are engaging and wonderful to watch. In addition, standout performances from Kristina Klebe and Joe Swanberg will have you craving even more – but I won’t tell you who they play in the film, because I don’t want to give away any more than I already have! 😉
Proxy is one for the thriller history books, and the less you know going in, the better. Get out to see it if you can…and then get out to see it again. The ride is off-putting and – often – horrifyingly well worth it!
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