Review and Interview: Proxy

Well, the Oscar nominations will be here soon, and I will try to do some reviews on movies that are eligible for awards this year. To kick this off, I am checking out a short called Proxy...which is about a woman who becomes whatever other people need...

Proxy is an Oscar-eligible science fiction short about a near-future world where people can hire "Proxies" (humans who are trained in the extremely fine art of standing in for a lost loved one, replicating family members who have passed, a husband or wife who has left, an estranged daughter or son, a mother or father, or anyone else you need.) and centres on Victoria (played by Emily Booth) who navigates the life of being one of the highest in demand proxies in the city while struggling with her own demons at the same time.

She sees the worst in people all the time, and helps people too, but it's a delicate state that is the human condition which leaves Victoria with her own deficiencies, and those are something that it seems she is totally unable to fill.

She could be a lost lover....

It's quite an emotional story, and rather creepy also. Victoria is basically an emotional prostitute, and she can help you by catering to your emotional needs...at the right price. It also pushes the boundaries on what emotions are real, and what can be simulated, but not if it is actually ethical (that will be another question for another time). In a lot of ways, you can buy this service already (albeit not as extreme as this) as people do hire others for role play services. Would you hire a proxy if they were a thing here?

She could be whatever you need...

Interestingly, this movie had 3 endings filmed, it would be interesting to see what the other endings were like. A dark vision of the near future with great scenes and soundtrack, it is most certainly an interesting watch, and I'd love to see this picked up and made into a feature length movie or TV series at some point.

I was able to chat to Sophia Banks about making films, Proxy and what's coming up next...

Hi Sophia, hope things are well. What got you interested in making films?

It’s one of those things that I have always had a love and passion for, ever since I was 7 or 8. I am a really visual person and I always knew I wanted to express myself artistically through a visual median. Making movies made sense to me. Proxy is a brilliant short and has quite a bit of emotion, something I really enjoyed watching. How long did it take to complete, from written story to finished film? I really appreciate that. It was quite a whirlwind of a project. The writer Dominick Joseph Luna and actress Emma Booth and I have been friends for a while and always talked about doing something together. Before the pandemic hit, they happened to be coming back from Australia to LA, where Emma had wrapped on The Gloaming. Dominick had been doing some research and stumbled across a great article about how there were these strange boutique services popping up in Japan where you could hire a person to play a role for you. I thought it was so interesting and we decided to go with it — speaking on points of what it must feel like from the Proxy’s point of view and the dark side of her life. In a way, I feel like Social Media is what could lead us here. It’s a way to connect more than ever but it further disconnects us. We very well could come to the point where we feel more comfortable hiring a Proxy to play a part than live a life of real interactions.

I noticed that you have made quite a few commercials...is there any significant differences between filming movies and filming commercials?

The biggest difference is the obvious: length. One thing that has been interesting for me is the fact that I started in commercials which is a “30-second storytelling” avenue. You have such a condensed margin to tell an entire story. In a lot of ways, that has what has helped me as a director to focus on those key elements in storytelling that make a piece interesting. Now in longer form projects, I go back to ways to hold the interest of an audience and a lot of that comes from my experience in commercial work. Makes sense, and I get why this short is so captivating. Was there any footage left on the cutting room floor when editing Proxy?

It’s interesting that Proxy was almost scene for scene. We had a little bit of a fun time, with shooting various scenarios for the ending and without giving it away, we went with one of three of the options. I think we all really agreed from the beginning where we wanted to go with this film that it all went almost shot for shot.

There's another 2 endings? They'd be interesting to see!

If you could have a dream cast for one of your movies, who would you be selecting?

I love anything with Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio who are some of the most talented actors out there but if I could also go back in time I would add Jimmy Stewart and Ingrid Bergman to that list. What are your thoughts on Proxy being eligible for Oscar consideration?

It’s been a dream of mine to be a director and filmmaker as long as I can remember so the fact that I can present a piece of work I am really proud of and have that up for consideration for an Oscar means a lot to me. I want to set an example for female filmmakers worldwide that anything can happen and this is a space we belong in as well. Well said, we certainly need to see more female filmmakers in the spotlight.

Could you see yourself either being a proxy or hiring one if they were real?

I think the idea of either freaks me out, which is probably why I love stories like these. They jolt you into these incredibly strange realms of possible realities. I would see myself as the individual condemning the practice.

What do you do to relax and unwind? It can't be all making movies surely!

It’s funny because I am pretty much always working — it’s an obsession of mine to a point where it doesn’t feel like work. But, on the off chance I’m not, I’m usually just enjoying time with my daughter outdoors. We love the ocean and sunshine. It’s nice to disconnect too.

So what's next? I know you're currently working on the movie Blacksite, can you tell me anything about that? Are there any other projects on the horizon?

Yes, I’m very excited about Blacksite! I’m currently in prep and we aim to shoot in the next month or so. What I can say is that it is an action thriller film unlike any audiences have seen in some time. I like to think it’s “Alien” meets a “Bourne” and the best part is we have a female lead which was the biggest draw to this incredible story.

Additionally, I’m working with my team on several television and film projects, including developing Proxy into a series, that we aim to get into the works by the end of 2021.

Proxy: The Series? That's something I'd certainly love to see!

Sophia Banks, thank you and good luck with you future projects.

Proxy is unrated.