1 Hour Photo

I hope everyone's transition to school is nice and easy. But if you're struggling, here's a quote that's helped me: "Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop." - Rumi Whatever self-doubt, fear, or anything else that's weighing you down, ground yourself and let it all go. Now, let's talk about One Hour Photo—a movie I keep thinking about and can't get over.

One Hour Photo

*Spoilers

Seymour "Sy" Parrish is introduced to us as soon as the movie starts. He's getting his mugshot taken and is also being interrogated. It then transitions to the past, when he worked as a photo technician at a one-hour photo lab. Sy is quiet, polite, and almost invisible to the people around him. But beneath his exterior, there’s something unsettling about him. Things start getting weird when he makes copies of a family's photos after developing them. Later, he casually refers to Jake, their young son, as his "nephew" while talking to a waitress—like he’s part of their life when he’s just watching from the outside. It also seems like he has the wrong impression about them, through the pictures he develops Sy truly believes the Yorkins—Jake and his parents, Nina and Will—are the perfect family. Pictures are a reflection of what people want to be seen. Behind his idealized version of perfection, the Yorkins are far from flawless.

Things start falling apart when his boss notices missing inventory; Sy has been secretly making extra copies of customers' photos, especially the Yorkins'. He gets written up, but soon after, he’s fired. Losing his job isn’t just about money; it means losing his access to their lives. Then, he sees something that shatters his view of them—photos proving Will is cheating on his wife. The “perfect family” he’s obsessed with is a lie. With nothing left to lose, Sy snaps, and his quiet obsession turns into something much darker.

One Hour Photo isn't your traditional horror, but more a psychological film. It makes you think about perception, obsession, and loneliness. Sy isn't obsessed with the Yorkins, he's obsessed with the idea of a perfect happy life. The movie has some beautiful visuals, and noticeable contrasts in colors when it goes from Sy's dull world to the vibrant and warm Yorkins photos. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d definitely recommend it, just be ready to feel a little uneasy.