PROXiMITY Review

PROXiMITY, a film by the popular short film artist, Ryan Connolly, is an action film that showcases hostages escaping the clutches of armed men through a forest. There is a catch though: each man has a partner and if the bands on their ankles get too far apart from each other then the bands will blow off pieces of their legs. The soundtrack to the film brought suspense to the moments where heartbeats stop and all eyes scan the screen waiting for something pop out. The deep bass draws attention to the situation without an overpowering presence that would destroy the picture’s value. The author evokes his desired pathos through the suspenseful sounds and draws sympathy from his viewers towards his main character so that they too will want him to escape. Connolly utilizes the physical tension between the bands as well as the emotional tension in the viewers’ hearts in tandem to grab and keep their interest. As the film progresses, the tension grows as the bands narrowly avoid destruction with each encounter being closer than the one before it. The tension between these bands is so strong that it even pins the prisoners against each other, making it easier for the hunters to win. The name “proximity” for the film suggests both that the hostages cannot leave the proximity of each other and that the hunters may be closer than a hostage expects. On a deeper level, the hostages don’t know who is actually dangerous to them and by keeping someone who they believe is on their side close to them, they may actually endanger themselves further. For instance, Connolly uses the bands to portray the danger that a lack of proximity can cause, but when the prisoners were too close to each other, they became violent and actually tried to kill each other before the hunters even had a chance to. The title is more likely making the viewers ask themselves “How close is proximity and who is allowed on either side of it?” The ending to the film questions just how far a human being would go to perform the right action. Much like in Star Wars, the victim sees himself travel to the other end of the spectrum to become the killer just to solve the problem. Connolly makes his viewers believe that this man truly wants revenge and that he will take the place of those who caused him pain just to take a seat of power and then in one shot changes his character back to a good person once again. This action as a filmmaker makes the viewers question whether they are the victim or the hunter.