Hope you’re sitting uncomfortably, we’re going to need the
brain bleach for this one
Compliance, written and directed by Craig Zobel, is a thriller
film about a prank caller who shatters the tedious normality of a ‘Chickwich’
fried chicken restaurant by posing as a police officer and coercing its
inhabitants into a chilling and perverse saga of dubious acts, each more
unsettling than the last.
The writing and the remarkably genuine portrayals by the
cast (Ann Dowd in particular) perfectly encapsulate every aspect of the
narrative, from the mundane dialogues of a fried chicken restaurant to the
shuddering panic of what follows. On the
other side of the story is the fake Officer Daniels, a psychopathic manipulator
who toys with power from the comfort of his living room. In his interactions with the Chickwich staff,
the caller is quite clearly represented as a god-like intangible presence, but with
the indifferent ruthlessness of a dictator.
But for all its dread and misery, it’s also not afraid of the (very)
occasional shot of dark humour, which show that Zobel still has a good grasp of
the tone.
Although Compliance is intimately shot and has a marvellous
soundtrack, it is inherently driven by story rather than cinematography. I wouldn’t particularly recommend reading up
on the finer details of the true events before seeing it, as uncertainty makes
the build-up all the more engrossing. The
stakes are raised bit by bit as the caller’s requests shift from awkward to
sinister. The film culminates in a scene
of sheer writhing horror which doesn’t really require an analysis.
It would be nice to be able to say that Compliance was more
or less an unadulterated account of the true events it is based on, and at face
value it is, but in fact the final escalation is carefully sidestepped
(although it is alluded to). It’s not
surprising, however, that the writer’s better judgment had him go only as far
as he did, as even earlier scenes had audiences cringing out of the cinema, and
by that time the writers’ point had already been very forcefully made. Unless you are very desensitised, this film
will affect you, but I would hold that the more people get offended the more
important a piece of culture Compliance is.
Something to note is that Compliance does not feel like it
is meant to condemn the crimes or the perpetrators of that day. Rather, I feel that the aim of the film is
more to raise the themes of authority and impersonality, even if its tidal wave
of suspense leaves its audience too tormented to think about it at the
time. Few films more powerfully portray
the disconnect between power and responsibility, and the paranoia and cruelty
that ensues. On a more fundamental level,
Compliance asks us whether the people who do terrible deeds, or the ones who
shape them, are really the villains.
To sum up, the 4 star reviews that have been spunked all
over the poster are not a good reason to be either perturbed or encouraged by
this film. The point of it is to be one
of the most unique and unsettling cinema experiences you will have for a long
time. Compliance’s run in theatres is
pretty much done as far as I know, but if you get the chance, watch it.
Rating this with a number would be pointless but I’ll do it
anyway. 8/10
Remember, nothing is exaggerated; apart from the flagrant
black stereotype.
Also if you want to learn more about the real life prank
calls that happened, I recommend Wikipedia, the other faceless authority figure
in your life.
I think the idiom 'evil exists because good men stand by and do nothing' is encapsulated in this film. I agree its a must see.
ReplyDeleteso next time you are busy at work and the phone rings.......
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