Compliance
In 1963, Stanley Milgram completed an experiment to test subjects willingness and compliance to authority. Asking questions to an unseen other subject (who was an actor behind a screen,) participants were ordered to shock if they got the question wrong. As the questions went on, the shock would increase in energy to more life threatening levels. Even with the screams of the actor, 66% of participants would go further to the extent of a shock that would kill. With this knowledge, it is mind boggling to believe that other half of people involved would willingly nearly kill another if instructed to by authority. It’s with this knowledge that we enter the world of Compliance. Now, I’ve read a few reviews on Compliance that called “false” on the “inspired by true events” on the latest American thriller Compliance. The “strip search prank call” situation that is the centre of this movie is actually true and is predominantly based on a McDonalds incident in Kentucky, Ohio. The fact that it is actually based on a true situation makes Compliance all that terrifying.
Compliance centres around a fast food restaurant ChickWich. When manager Sandra gets a call from a supposed policeman saying one of her employees, Becky has stolen money from a customer; Sandra takes her out back to investigate. Acting on the instructions on the caller, events go from bad to unbelievable as Sandra is ordered to perform a strip search. With her fiancée and others, Sandra willingly puts Becky through increasing hell believing that she is merely acting on behave of the officer on the phone. The events that transpire are shocking to say the least.
Compliance is a good movie that shows the test of someone’s naivety and gullibility when place in a difficult situation. Sandra, so outstandingly acted by Ann Dowd, is a complex person. Constantly feeling belittled in her position by employees and management, it is interesting that a few compliments and charm of sweet talking anonymous caller would cause her to lose her common sense and, well, comply. It is Dowd that keeps the movie going and she never misses a beat. She brilliant portrays an unknowing pawn and villain who tries to justify what she is doing not only to herself but others around her. Pat Healy is great as the twisted caller “Officer Daniels” who notes every awful thing happening to Becky. That fact that he is a father and a white collared worker who is pretty normal to the outside world, but hides this sinister hobby is creepy and disturbing.
Compliance isn’t brilliant though and at times falls off its great tone. There are some moments where the director opts for artfully unnecessary shots. While they are some brilliantly gritty provoking shots, these ridiculously moments sometimes distract the viewer from the core of the movie. Not only that but sometimes the acting is off, particularly Dreama Walker as Becky. Her performs is rather understated and some could argue it works in the situation it is in but her wide eyed acting fails to really convey the damage that it is happening to her. She is given very little in way of dialogue and only really makes us empathise at few moments in the film.
Compliance is a dark movie dealing with a very sensitive issue of abuse. The movie handles those scenes very well and is very much a testament to how filmmakers can make a movie without subjecting us to excessive violence. That is a great part of Compliance. It still makes us squirm and more so that these events have happened numerous of times around America. Compliance is good but misses its beat at times, falling off. Much of its brilliance is to Dowd and she keeps the movie going as the crumbling Sandra.
Her compliance is the most shocking of all.
3/5
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