Proof (2005)

Proof is a film about Catherine, the daughter of a brilliant mathematician, who recounts the struggle of taking care of her father and his mental deterioration over the last few years of his life. Catherine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, also an excellent mathematician in her own right, fights the emotional turmoil of seeing her father's demise and fearing that she will someday follow his path. Her father, played by Anthony Hopkins, is seen in the film through flashback and dreams.

Catherine has had to sacrifice a lot to keep her father from spending his final time in a mental facility. She's had to drop out of school and take care of him as his once brilliant mind slips into instability. She's become isolated and fearful and depressed. After his death, one of her father's teacher's aides, Hal, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, asks to go through her father's numerous writings during the last years of his life to see if, among the incoherent ramblings, are any more mathematical gems to be found and published. During his investigation he comes across one notebook with a new mathematical proof that is groundbreaking. Is it the father's or is it Catherine's?

Proof, written by David Auburn, is based on his play. I was fortunate to see a local production of Proof at our local American Stage playhouse, with my friend and actor Brian Shea playing the role of Hal. The play was very well done and extremely effective. Shea, who's appeared in my feature The Box and my short film The Business Trip, was wonderful as the excited, nerdy and charming Hal.

The film, directed by John Madden, who previously teamed up with Paltrow for the excellent film Shakespeare in Love, tries his best at expanding the play's claustrophobic surroundings so the film will seem bigger, but the film still struggles from the inherent problem of converting a play to film... it's still too wordy.

However, for those of you who have not seen the play, the film will be enjoyable. The performances are solid and the story interesting. It's a small film, but still has some punch.