The wasp on the jello

One Hour Photo builds its stark intensity from "the little things" - brilliant nuances of expression and detail that elevate the film above the level of just another borderline-wacko-going-over-the-edge thriller, and Robin Williams gives an Oscar-worthy performance here, a hypnotic, masterfully etched portrayal of what it feels like - truly FEELS like - to eke out a traumatized existence of profound loneliness while still craving acceptance and human connection on the only level he can actually deal with it.

This level, of course, gets him into trouble, and the most extraordinary thing about Williams' performance is that we understand this tormented character, we understand why he does what he does, and we sympathize. But Sy gets our sympathy not because Williams tries to get it superficially (from the outside), but rather because he lets us IN - he lets us FEEL his vulnerability, his rage, his monumental sadness, his overwhelming need, and by the end of the movie we have experienced something truly rare: somebody else's reality. And we have recognized the part of ourselves that, chillingly, relates.