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The Naked Proof
review by KJ
Doughton, 20 June 2003
Seattle International Film Festival
2003
Henry
Rawitscher (Michael Chick) is the confused, unhappy hero of The
Naked Proof, Jamie Hook’s thoughtful coupling of philosophy
and romance. A Seattle Barton Fink who teaches philosophy instead of
writing plays, Henry is one of those humorless masters students who
attends college "burlesque" parties (requiring a nudie
picture for admission), and drunkenly ponders what is real and
what’s not. "As a philosopher," he insists, "it’s
my job to question reality."
In
fact, Henry spends much of The
Naked Proof attempting to complete a dissertation questioning
whether or not one can prove the existence of other people.
Appearing as a flustered, younger David Letterman, this professional
pessimist soon finds his life invaded by Miriam, a pregnant woman
who may or may not be the real deal. Is Henry having a breakdown,
conjuring up this assertive houseguest as a psychotic hallucination?
Or is Miriam a flesh and blood mother-to-be whose presence will
force Henry to drop his philosophical objectivity and embrace her
warmth?
While
Chick’s eccentric character might inhabit center-stage, The Naked Proof is clearly a director’s film. Jamie Hook,
co-founder of Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum and a prolific
producer of numerous local plays and movies, has populated his
latest foray into feature films with supporting characters that
Kubrick and the Coen Brothers would drool over. Dean Rathbun (Matt
Smith), Henry’s financial aid provider and mentor, emerges as some
kind of philosophy Antichrist, barking, "You show up, you play
ball, and you’re a philosopher. Take this sh*t too seriously, and
you’ll go nuts."
Meanwhile,
there’s a spacey bellhop dressed in the black skinny tie and white
waiter’s shirt of a rabid Knack fan, getting way too personal with
Miriam as she checks in at a hotel. "I have a step uncle and a
step grandmother," he proclaims, hovering over the soon-to-pop
guest like a love-starved puppy as he reveals such unsolicited
family revelations.
Hook’s
apparent disdain for philosophy is echoed during a hilarious scene
staged at a Chinese buffet, where Dissertation Committee members
endure a sensationally absurd Keynote Speaker addressing The
Objectivity of Blue and Yellow Balls. "The balls in my hands
are subjective properties that may or may not exist," the
pompous ass exclaims. Meanwhile, an attending professor chuckles,
"Philosophy is a gerontocracy – we older people get to make
things up."
As
Henry’s search for truth winds down, The
Naked Proof ends on a touching, surprisingly emotional note.
Like Miriam, the here-again, gone-again presence that complicates
Henry’s life, such feelings come out of left field and refuse to
go away.
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