Compliance

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  • Compliance

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...iance-20120629

    I just read about this movie over at Indiewire Playlist. Has anyone seen it?
    How good is it? It also reminds me the idea was a plot point in a Law and Order: SVU episode.

  • #2
    Re: Compliance

    The Trailer.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdONydDX44I

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    • #3
      Re: Compliance

      Originally posted by DR Bostic View Post
      http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...iance-20120629

      I just read about this movie over at Indiewire Playlist. Has anyone seen it?
      How good is it? It also reminds me the idea was a plot point in a Law and Order: SVU episode.

      I remember that one; Robin Williams was the guy behind the phone calls. And when I clicked on your link my first thought was "Ann Dowd is a Repeat Offender!" She's been in a ton of Law and Order episodes.

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      • #4
        Re: Compliance

        Saw this at NOLA Film Fest. Did anyone else see it? Like it?

        Does the concept hold enough weight to be a feature?

        ++ shouldn't be spoiler alert ++

        Are the different characters who are put in the bind with the young girl delineated enough character-wise or is there some repetition and their essence becomes "everyman" put in a dilemma that would be hard for anyone? Does the male "fiance" character's personality help to create the surprising and extreme version of situation or were his actions fated by the theme and setup?

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        • #5
          Compliance

          Originally posted by Jim Mercurio View Post
          Does the concept hold enough weight to be a feature?
          Probably, (so I'd say, yes); but, does this film border upon "torture porn" to send the audience a message that a culture of blind obedience isn't good?

          Instead of picking upon the normal bullying of low-wage workers, I would prefer to see a documentary film about some of the security measures implemented and the abuses committed by those responsible for airport security in the United States, during the past decade. This might dissuade the critics who'd complain about just how stupid people are, who work in low-status jobs, when compared to elite corporate executives, who supposedly aren't stupid but still must bare all in a body scan or random pat down by TSA agents.
          JEKYLL & CANADA (free .mp4 download @ Vimeo.com)

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          • #6
            Re: Compliance

            Originally posted by Jim Mercurio View Post
            Saw this at NOLA Film Fest. Did anyone else see it? Like it?

            Does the concept hold enough weight to be a feature?

            ++ shouldn't be spoiler alert ++

            Are the different characters who are put in the bind with the young girl delineated enough character-wise or is there some repetition and their essence becomes "everyman" put in a dilemma that would be hard for anyone? Does the male "fiance" character's personality help to create the surprising and extreme version of situation or were his actions fated by the theme and setup?
            I liked it overall, and it shocked me how far those people would go based solely on a guy claiming to be a cop. What the fiancée did I had an especially hard time believing, both generally speaking as well as within the context of his character. But I read up on the true story after I saw the film and it was a pretty faithful adaptation. Just goes to show that truth is stranger than fiction.

            There was enough weight to be a feature, though I did feel the end was rushed. I would have either ended with them realizing the caller wasn't a cop and then had a title card explaining what happened, or have stretched out the search for the caller (and how what he did affected the people involved) to be the entire third act. But the movie had something in the middle, and the filmmaker didn't appear certain how much weight he wanted to give to the aftermath of the incident.

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            • #7
              Re: Compliance

              Originally posted by Brice View Post
              I had an especially hard time believing, both generally speaking as well as within the context of his character.
              This would have worked better if there was a way to show that he was a bit happy or eager to comply under the cover of the authority figure telling him to do it. Not all low-ranking Nazis were "just following orders," right?

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              • #8
                Re: Compliance

                Originally posted by Jim Mercurio View Post
                This would have worked better if there was a way to show that he was a bit happy or eager to comply under the cover of the authority figure telling him to do it. Not all low-ranking Nazis were "just following orders," right?
                Agreed -- I think the filmmaker wanted to make all the complying people seem like upstanding citizens who were innocent victims of this scam, whereas it would have been much more interesting to examine how the authority figure provided them with an excuse to act upon their secret desires (or at least in the case of the fiancee, if he had been set up as hiding his attraction to the young girl).

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                • #9
                  Re: Compliance

                  Originally posted by Brice View Post
                  Agreed -- I think the filmmaker wanted to make all the complying people seem like upstanding citizens who were innocent victims of this scam, whereas it would have been much more interesting to examine how the authority figure provided them with an excuse to act upon their secret desires (or at least in the case of the fiancee, if he had been set up as hiding his attraction to the young girl).
                  The idea I underlined above may possibly have been the case in real life. Or maybe not; I don't know.

                  But if the movie played out that way, the story would have lost much of its power, which existed in the display of extreme emotional discomfort by the perpetrators in the restaurant. If we saw the perps taking pleasure in their actions, the movie would, in effect, make us complicit with them, and objectify the girl even more.

                  Most of the tension and angst was experienced by the perps--that's what made the movie so good and made me squirm in my seat. The girl was shocked and fearful at first, of course, but after a while she seemed almost bored and became a secondary character. The fascination came from watching the perps fight with their consciences and carry out actions they knew were wrong, but felt compelled to commit as commanded by "authority".

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                  • #10
                    Re: Compliance

                    Originally posted by Donreel View Post
                    But if the movie played out that way, the story would have lost much of its power, which existed in the display of extreme emotional discomfort by the perpetrators in the restaurant. If we saw the perps taking pleasure in their actions, the movie would, in effect, make us complicit with them, and objectify the girl even more.
                    If the fiance character had taken a one-second glance at her body and then quickly looked away while the victim wasn't making eye contact and then pretty much played everything else the exact same way, it would have possibly added a level of complexity and ambiguity to the idea of what it means to be compliant. That's all I am saying. I see your point but I didn't want to linger on the desire or pleasure of the perpetrators but rather to show an all/mostly unconscious hint at something that might be a truth about compliance: that what makes people follow order is more complex than just authority.

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