Weekly Review -- Testing the limits

Compliance (2012) -- In 1961, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted the infamous experiment that tested human behavior toward authority figures through simulated torture. Each participant was asked to administer electric shocks of varying degrees to a subject, if they provided wrong responses to a series of questions. During the first session, 65% of participants followed all of the experimenters' unscrupulous directives without referring to their own moral compass or exhibiting empathy toward the subject. This percentage was not much lower in later sessions, proving that human beings are incapable of mentally separating themselves from authority's grip.

Where is the line between law abiding and blind obedience? When does indisputable authority become veritable tyranny? How does the innate desire for conformity infringe upon our right to choose? Craig Zobel's darkly brilliant Compliance examines these issues through a tale that becomes more unsettling by the minute and that, frankly, makes the viewer lose faith in the human race.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS HUGE SPOILERS**

On a busy afternoon, fast food restaurant manager Sandra (Ann Dowd) receives a call from a man introducing himself as officer Daniels (Pat Healy). He informs her that a customer had filed a police complaint, stating that a young employee had stolen money from her purse earlier that day. When Sandra identifies the employee as Becky (Dreama Walker), Daniels instructs her to interrogate the girl, stating that he is currently unable to get there himself and that he will soon be sending a unit. Becky is adamant about her innocence, but Sandra and the other employees are determined to do the right thing, even as the officer's instructions become more abrasive and more humiliating...

If one looked up the definition of the term "sheep mentality", they would surely come upon Compliance. A study of human behavior at its most reprehensible, the film examines decision making under the influence of orders and, to an extent, under the duress of groupthink. The interrogation turns out to be a scam perpetrated by a random guy for kicks and the fact that the story is inspired by actual events only adds fuel to the fire. As the film informs us, there have been over 70 such incidents occurring in 30 U.S. states; this story was based on an April 2004 case. It boggles the mind that something this outrageous could ever have happened anywhere, that none of the people talking with the prankster ever used their brains and questioned his identity, hanging on to the "officer's" every word and fulfilling his every request. Why did almost everyone trust this man? Why did they feel that they were required to listen and obey, his commands hypnotizing them into absolute submission? We are conditioned from birth to comply with and respect authority, but does this conditioning automatically signify or, even worse, warrant losing our free will? Much like in Milgram's experiment, those who spoke with the hoaxer were paralyzed by the possibility of not doing the right thing and the idea of self-preservation, forgetting to think while aiming to please. It is a frightening notion, relinquishing moral instincts merely for the sake of doing what one is told; then again, millennia of warfare have proved that our species is no stranger to conflict as a consequence of following orders. 

On another note, it is interesting that Zobel chooses not to examine the role that class played in the pranks. All of the incidents occurred at fast food restaurants and grocery stores, meaning that none of them took place at specialized, higher learning establishments like universities or hospitals. Based on various historical examples, we can say without a shred of doubt that the level of education and economic standing affects the way we view and respond to authority figures. However, by not exploring this aspect and by setting the narrative in Anytown, USA, Zobel makes an important point, showing us the ubiquity of submissiveness and the scope of sheer inanity. 

The performances are stunning. Kudos goes to the actors who inhabited the roles, since being in the mindset of these characters must have been one of the most uncomfortable jobs they will ever have. Dowd gives a perfect performance. Her dim-witted, desperate Sandra is the epitome of a follower -- someone who has never made noise, who has never tried too hard, who has always been taught to be acutely aware of her place and not vainly attempt to change it. Dowd plays her with gusto and conviction, her tense exchanges with Walker a stark contrast to her timid exchanges with Healy. Walker's Becky traverses the most drastic arc, devolving from a rational and headstrong young woman to somebody with no voice whatsoever. Obviously aware that there was no theft, she is forced to go through a hellish ordeal to prove her innocence, experiencing a complete loss of control over her mind, body and autonomy in the process. Under the sway of mob mentality, she becomes a non-person and an entity for others to exploit at whim, and Walker's eyes and body language tell us more than words ever could. Healy creates one of the best villains in recent years. His weary voice and oblivious facial expressions conceal the full implications of this man's cruel actions, gradually betraying his cold sadism and disregard for fellow human beings. Daniels's conversations with Becky are pure agony and his reveal in the last conversation with Sandra is chilling. The rest of the cast are just as incredible, especially Philip Ettinger as the first employee to suspect that something is amiss and Stephen Payne as the first individual to put his foot down and do something to end the madness.

Compliance is one of the best films of 2012. It is a sharp, uncompromising analysis of people duped by the prospect of peril and overwhelmed by the shadow of power hanging over them like a storm cloud. As you watch it, you will be frustrated. You will shake your head in disbelief. You will yell at the TV. You will say NO.

If only they had done the same.

10/10