Proof (2005)

I’m not sure what it is about Gwyneth Paltrow, but I’ve just never really been able to take her seriously before. I found her over-the-top in Shakespeare in Love, and extremely irritating in Emma, although admittedly there, that was part and parcel of the character of Emma Woodhouse. For me, she just doesn’t have that star quality that makes me want to go see her films. Proof however, has made me reconsider my viewpoint, as she excels in the role of grieving daughter Katherine, who is having trouble coming to terms with the possibility that she may have inherited some of her dead father’s madness, as well as some of his genius.

The film is adapted from David Auburn’s successful play of the same name, which Paltrow also starred in. Deviations from the play include the use of flashbacks, which occur during Katherine’s thought processes and allow viewers to be introduced to her late father, the great mathematician Robert Llewelyn (Anthony Hopkins). This device benefits the film because it gives a greater understanding of the main characters’ behaviour. We see Katherine telling her father that she is going away to university, as the schizophrenia he suffers from hasn’t affected him for months, and she doesn’t think he needs her to be around all the time anymore. Then we jump to the present and it becomes clear that she thinks her move is what caused him to get ill again, and guilt is probably the reason she is currently acting a little crazy.

The main plot of the film revolves around Hal (Jake Gyllenhal) finding a maths proof in genius-gone-mad Robert Llewelyn’s desk drawer that breaks new ground in that field, and which suggests that in the years when he was considered to be insane, he was actually doing incredible work. This is until Katherine announces that it was not her father’s breakthrough, but her own, a claim greeted with both doubt and disbelief by those present.

The theme of ‘proof’ is a constant one throughtout the film, as the characters are invariably trying to prove one thing or another about themselves. Katherine wants to be believed when she says she wrote the maths proof; Hal want to prove himself in maths by discovering something truly great, but he fears he is past it, as most mathematicians make their greatest finds in their early twenties, an age he has passed; and Katherine’s sister, Clare (Hope Davis) ticks things off her little notebook, as proof to herself that she’s achieved all the things she planned to.

What makes the film compelling stuff to watch are the glimpses of the relationships within the family, particularly between Katherine and her father and sister. She clearly resents her sister for going away to New York and making a successful life for herself, whilst she had to give up university in order to care for her father. Clare, on the other hand, thinks it was a mistake not institutionalising their father when he was clearly unstable, and sees her sister’s odd behaviour as a sign that she’s going the same way. There are simple moments of humour between them that show the lack of understanding they have of each other and are also incredibly amusing to watch. However, at the same time it feels like a rather dark comedy, as it’s not clear whether you should be laughing or not, as such moments also insinuate Katherine’s increasing instability of mind. The comedy runs alongside feelings of discomfort.

Jake Gyllenhal’s drumming scene was also very entertaining, as it is perfectly clear that he’s never played drums before in his life, and has no idea what to do with the instrument. He was possibly miscast as love interest nerdy Harold Dobbs. Although his affection for Katherine is pretty endearing, it’s very hard to see him as the maths geek he’s playing, when he wears figure-hugging clothes that show off his toned physique. I’m ashamed to say tha it begs the question ‘what is he doing drooling over an obviously, if not nus, slightly unstable person, when he clearly could have saner women throwing themselves at him?’.In spite of this criticism and my reservations about a leading cast member, I thoroughly enjoyed Proof and found that the close observation of the main characters gave it a lot of depth. What Proof seems to conclude about the subject matter is that proof itself is sometimes hard to achieve, and fath and trust are ultimately more important, because these are the things that relationships are based on. Without them, proof means very little.

Director: John Madden
Cast: Gyneth Paltrow, Hope Davis, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhal

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