Review of Guy (1997) by Anna V — 13 Jun 2006

In this gorgeous experimental movie, Vincent D'onofrio plays an ordinary man named Guy Dade who finds himself in fairly extraordinary circumstances. One day while walking down the street he realizes someone is filming him. When he tries to avoid the camerawoman, she follows. When he tells her to stop, she refuses and follows him home. This unnamed woman (played by Hope Davis) is a rogue film maker, and she has chosen Guy as the subject of her documentary. She intends to watch him day and night whether he agrees to it or not, and reluctantly, he does. As this woman gets deeper and deeper into his trust, his day-to-day existence, and his privacy, his life starts to come apart at the seams.

This movie made me think of all sorts of things. Voyeurism-- the thrill of watching, and the complementary thrill of being watched. The boundary between the actor and the camera, between the actor and the audience. It made me want to wax nerdy and poetic.

In addition to the unusual method of storytelling and the thoughts it provokes, [I]Guy[/I] also offers a stunning performance from D'onofrio, whom you may recognize from Law and Order: Criminal Intent or one of dozens of movies he's appeared in over the years, from [I]Full Metal Jacket[/I] to [I]Men in Black[/I]. The role of Guy is obvious a demanding one; D'onofrio basically carries the movie on his shoulders, appearing in almost every second and keeping up his facade as your everyday Guy-off-the-street. Hope Davis is also convincing as the obsessed film maker, for all that she is mostly just a voice.

However, you will not always like the characters. In particular, Guy is frequently deceitful and even violent in places. The film maker has her own set of issues I won't go into. Overall, I didn't mind, though I did occasionally want to throw things when I wasn't falling in love.

The worst thing about this movie is that it is extremely hard to find. I had to TiVo it off Sundance at 3 AM. Good luck to you.