PROOF

Year: 2005
USA: Miramax Films
UK: Buena Vista International UK
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis, Gary Houston, Anne Wittman, Leland Burnett, John Keefe, Danny McCarthy, Tobiacz Daszkiewicz, Leigh Zimmerman, Colin Stinton, Chipo Chung, C Gerod Harris, Roshan Seth, Lolly Susi
Director: John Madden
Country: USA
UK: 100 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for some sexual content, language and drug references
UK Certificate: 12A contains strong language and moderate sex
USA Release Date: 23 September 2005 (Wider)
USA Release Date: 16 September 2005
UK Release Date: 24 February 2006
UK Release Date: 10 February 2006 (Limited Release)


UK Distributor

Director's statement

In mathematics, solutions to unimaginably complex problems may be found by the application of a rigorous set of rules. Hypotheses are subjected to a sequence of deductions which can lead, if the right route is followed, to an unequivocal result: a proof.

In life we search for solutions, too, but the rules are subjective and fluid and must be negotiated. Who are we? What do we know about ourselves? What can we trust in our relationships with others? We crave certainty and assurance, but have to draw conclusions from incomplete evidence. And as a result those conclusions can seem provisional or invalid.

This film explores a mystery whose solution lies somewhere between the certainties of mathematics and the shifting perspectives of human experience, and deals with intangible values that are difficult to verify: trust, love and sanity.

Synopsis

Things that are intangible are hard to prove - sanity, love, and faith. John Madden's PROOF tests these very issues.

PROOF is the compelling story of an enigmatic young woman haunted by her father's past and the shadow of her own future, exploring the links between genius and madness, the tender relationships between fathers and daughters and the nature of truth and family.

On the eve of her 27th birthday, Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a mathematical genius named Robert (Anthony Hopkins), must deal not only with the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire (Hope Davis), but also with the attentions of Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal), a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks of Robert's.

As Catherine confronts Hal's affections and Claire's overbearing plans for her life, she struggles to solve the most perplexing problem of all: How much of her father's madness - or genius - will she inherit?

The screenplay is an adaptation of David Auburn's beautifully elegant play. The intimate portrayals by this accomplished cast are delivered with emotional accuracy to capture the realities of relationships and the tests of faith.