'Compliance' challenges human submission to authority
By Stanton Sharpe
Aug. 13, 2012 8:47 p.m.
“Compliance”
Directed by Craig Zobel
Magnolia Pictures
Brilliantly insightful to human psychology and emotionally captivating, “Compliance,” the most controversial movie to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will leave many pondering the intricacies of the human psyche that can at times seem uncontrollable, unsympathetic and perverted.
The film follows a prank caller pretending to be a cop who convinces a store manager that one of her employees has committed theft. The caller begins by commanding that the store manager comply to a strip search of the young teenage girl accused of theft and continues with much more heinous and outrageous commands.
The movie is a beautiful mixture of suspense and horror that will leave the audience craving retribution and justice for the wickedness that ensues from the prank call.
Visually, “Compliance” uses a style of unsteady camera shots and first-person point of view that creates a realistic atmosphere where the audience is invited to be a part of each scene. This filming style adds to the movie’s intensity and vitality, which works very well in drawing the audience into the story.
“Compliance” stars Ann Dowd (“Marley & Me”) as Sandra, the gullible fast food restaurant manager who is manipulated by the prank caller, and Dreama Walker (“Don’t Trust the B—— in Apartment 23″), as Becky, the teenage girl accused of thievery. Walker and Dowd give two very strong performances unlike anything we’ve seen from them before, especially Walker. “Compliance” has generated much hype and buzz since it premiered at Sundance and it could be Walker’s breakout movie.
Walker convincingly portrays the fear and confusion of a young girl being held against her will, while Dowd plays the perfect fool in her role as an easily manipulated, middle-aged woman with low self-esteem.
Another noteworthy performance is Pat Healy’s take on the prank caller with the pseudonym Officer Daniels. Healy eerily portrays the sick and disturbed pervert, and will instill fear and disgust in the hearts of many who watch the film.
“Compliance” reveals the disturbing notion that many, when confronted by an authority figure, will blindly follow the orders of that figure even if what the authority commands of him or her is harmful or deadly to another person. It is very similar to the results found in the famous Milgram experiment.
It also raises the questions: are we responsible for our actions when we are commanded to do so by an authority figure? Or are we, as humans, wired to blindly follow someone we believe to clearly have authority over us?
These questions remained unanswered in the film, and thus “Compliance” is bound to spark thought and conversation among all who watch it. The film may leave many in the audience disgusted, furious or scared, but the graphic sexual acts and the devious manipulation of vulnerable people shown in this movie are guaranteed to remain ingrained in the minds of those who watch it.
Emotionally moving and very intense, “Compliance” is definitely worth seeing, but may not be an easy watch for those sensitive to strong sexuality and nudity.
