Compliance DVD Review
By: MattInRC
The disturbing Compliance seeks to prove that humans really are as stupid and gullible as we think.
On the surface, 2012's Compliance might seem like the perfect example of an independent film that should never have been made: no A-list Hollywood actors and an unknown director in Craig Zobel. In fact, so few people responded to Compliance that it was quietly pulled after making just $316,000 in just 21 theaters; but dig deeper and one realizes that its performance was in no way a slant as to its quality. Compliance is an underground gem, demonstrating the depths to which some people will blindly follow authority, all in the name of protecting the public good.
Set at an Ohio fast-food restaurant, the manager Sandra (Ann Dowd) and her employee Becky (Dreama Walker) don't like each other and fail to get along - it's a case of mutual needs meeting at a sharp point. During an especially busy day at the restaurant, Sandra receives a phone call from a man (Pat Healy) claiming to be police officer Daniels, who states that Becky has stolen money from a customer. Sandra is told that the police are conducting an investigation at Becky's apartment and need Sandra to detain and question her. Although Becky denies any involvement, Sandra escorts her to the office in the back of the store and - with Daniels on the phone - begins to interrogate Becky. After getting nowhere, Daniels orders Sandra to conduct a strip search, leaving Becky with only a work apron to cover her body. With her clothes now dumped (Daniels tells Sandra that the police will be by soon to test them for marijuana), Becky is forced to endure sexual humiliation from Sandra's fiancee Van (Bill Campt). Unwilling to question the caller's identity for fear of arrest, Sandra and Becky become puppets for Healy's growing list of sexual demands.
If this seems like a perfect porn plot, think again. Director and Writer Zobel does a fine job of upping the tension by questioning the mindset of semi-intelligent but gullible people who under normal circumstances would never do such offensive things to one another. Compliance claims it's inspired by actual events (supposedly 70 of these throughout the country have occurred), and reaction at last year's Sundance saw moviegoers walk out of the theater. Certainly, Compliance is not for everyone; those of you who find discomfort in embarrassing social situations are advised to stay far away from it. But, if you have the guts to stick through this little gem, you'll be all the better for it. It painfully demonstrates the lengths some people will take to protect the public good, even if it means becoming complicit along the way. The result is hard to watch and might result in its audience desiring a shower afterwards. But its slow burn could be worth the pain. Compliance is rated R for nudity and language and has a runtime of 90 minutes.
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