Cassidy Moorhouse Proof

A synopsis of the content/subject matter?
Jocelyn Moorhouse’s 1991 film ‘Proof’ is an emotive story about Martin, a paranoid blind man, made so because he was convinced that his mother, when he was just a child, lied to him about the sights she described to him. Now Martin as an adult is living a solitary life and has developed an ill temperament with the people around him, as the word trust is still haunting him. Martin is also a photographer, he takes photographs of the many different things he encounters on a day to day basis, has them developed, and then asks his close friends to describe the images to him. Martin has developed an idea that if he labels the photographs in braille as they are described to him no one in the future can lie to him about an image. Martin’s housekeeper Celia also is shown as a photographer, however in an obsessive way, highlighting her connection and feelings toward Martin. This obsession however doesn’t carry through to a successful ending in a relationship unfortunately for Celia. In addition to this we are taken through the tormenting and humiliation that Celia and Martin put each other through from day to day, therefore building the significance of
their relationship. After a confrontation one particular day at a restaurant between Martin and the Waitress, these events ultimately lead Martin into meeting Andy the restaurant dishwasher. Not long after this acquaintance Martin and Andy become loyal friends. As Martin and Andy become closer Martin invites him home to describe some photographs to him, allowing Andy to meet Celia. After a season of events Andy finds himself in a very peculiar situation as he has fallen for Celia and believes she feels the same. This love blinds Andy to how he is beginning to betray his loyal friendship with Martin and become blind to how lying to Martin will ruin all sorts of trust between them. Out of jealousy Celia makes a large effort to remove Andy from the situation so that Martin is ultimately driven into her arms. Or not.
An explanation of what way there is conflicting perspectives in the text?
Throughout the entire film we see the different perspectives that each character has and how their lifestyles have ultimately shaped this. Each character shares their own point of view of life and around the meaning of the truth. This tends to cause some conflicting actions toward one another. Martin is a blind man who has viewed the world through sound and descriptions of the events occurring all around him his entire life. His perspective of the outside world has been shaped by trust. He has had to put faith into believing that the people around him will not pity him and lie about the truth. Martin carries a particular memory with him that has ultimately shaped his entire life but in this process it has shaped him to not always have full belief that the people around him are telling the truth and believes that there should be nothing but the truth. We are shown this memory in a flashback of Martins childhood, where he was just a young boy. In this flashback we see Martin in his bedroom with him mother, and she is describing to him what she sees outside the window in the garden. Martin is set on believing that she is lying to him because he cannot see what is actually occurring outside. Martin’s perspective of the truth clashes with Andy’s, who believes that the truth doesn’t always have to be told. We see this representation of conflicting perspectives when Andy abuses that Martin is blind and finds it an easier task to change the truth because Martin cannot tell the difference. Andy is blinded by what he calls “love” symbolising that feelings can change a person perspective. Andy also is confident that Martin and Celia are close friends but couldn’t be anything more as he is blind and cannot appreciate what is in front of him. This causes conflict in a loyal friendship. In addition to these conflicting perspectives Celia rises with a perspective that highlights her true feelings for Martin. She sees Andy as a threat and becomes jealous of the close friendship him and Martin have developed, pushing her to pretend to seduce Andy when all she wants is to be rid of him to prevent him ruining her chances with Martin. Therefore this perspective causes a conflict between her and Andy. However the conflicts are not over yet. Celia believes that she and Martin are similar, she lost her father at a young age and so too did Martin lose his mother, they have no one but each other and she believes if they are together they will never have to be alone. Although Martin does not share this belief and this produces a conflict in perspectives between the two, leading finally to separation of characters.
An analysis of the techniques used to create meaning and understanding of conflicting perspectives?
A strong understanding and emotive meaning is produced with the assistance of certain film techniques within the film.
We are engaged in a number of flashbacks of Martins childhood to try and connect with us as an audience and highlight how Martin’s perspective of his life, the outside world beyond the darkness and the meaning of the truth has been shaped. The repetition of this memory is to reinforce the significance of the way Martins perspectives have been shaped. Showing that he struggled to believe what he was hearing throughout his childhood and that this may have somewhat travelled with him into his adulthood, altering his views. Martin has a close relationship with Celia and this is shown symbolically through the time they spend together and how well they know each
other.

Links between the text of own choosing and Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes?
- What the truth is- shown through the use of photographs symbolically in the film and linking to the idea of truth that Hughes talks about
- Andy describes martins photographs to him- this makes a link with Hughes through choices of omission, Andy could lie at any point but martin has but trust in a stranger to believe
- We are vulnerable to another’s perspective and this represents how Hughes and Martin are vulnerable to company, they don’t want to be alone