Compliance (film)
| Compliance | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Craig Zobel |
| Written by | Craig Zobel |
| Produced by | Craig Zobel Sophia Lin Theo Sena Lisa Muskat Tyler Davidson |
| Starring | Ann Dowd Dreama Walker Pat Healy |
| Cinematography | Adam Stone |
| Edited by | Jane Rizzo |
| Music by | Heather McIntosh |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $319,285[2] |
Compliance is a 2012 American docudrama written and directed by Craig Zobel, and starring Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, and Pat Healy.[3] The plot focuses on a prank caller who pretends to be a police officer and convinces the manager of a fast-food restaurant that one of her employees committed a crime, and gets her to carry out intrusive and unlawful procedures on the employee. It is based on the Bullitt County McDonald's strip search prank call scam.[4] Dowd's performance as Sandra was very positively received and won her the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress.
A message displayed before the action starts refers to the Milgram experiment, and says that the story, inspired by real events, is so shocking it is hard to believe, but that nothing was exaggerated.
Plot
Becky, a worker in a ChickWich fast food restaurant, arrives at work on a Friday morning, which tends to be the busiest day of the week for them. She talks with fellow female worker Marty about guys flirting with her, which seems to make Sandra, the manager, who awkwardly tries joining in the conversation, jealous. It becomes obvious Becky is well liked and popular among the workers. Sandra soon receives a phone call from someone identifying himself as Officer Daniels, claiming that he is in contact with the regional manager, about a reported theft from a customer's purse by a restaurant employee. Sandra identifies Becky as the culprit based on the given description of the supposed thief and brings her to the back of the restaurant for questioning, where the front counter closed-circuit camera monitors and the camera for the office are located.
Becky denies the theft, but the caller insists he is currently with the woman she supposedly stole from and has footage to back up the claim. The caller then directs that Becky's clothing be searched and nothing is found. As Sandra searches her purse on the officer's demand, Becky continues to insist her innocence but Sandra threatens to fire her if the claim is true. The purse is searched and nothing is found. As Sandra tells him this, he tells her to keep Becky there until the police can arrive and that he has the regional manager's approval. After being on the line with Becky, he tells her that her story is inconsistent with the victim's and demands she do everything she is told to do to not face further trouble. After telling Sandra the long process of a trial and the possibility of Becky going to jail and staying overnight, he tells her to strip search Becky there herself to make things "easier". Becky reluctantly agrees to it at the request of Marty being in the room.
While Sandra is out of the room, Daniels tells Becky to pretend to be okay to make things easier on Sandra while fishing for information about her which he can use in his directing the "investigation" at the restaurant. On Sandra and Marty's return, Becky reluctantly removes all of her clothes, including her bra and panties, where nothing is once again found. She is given an apron to cover herself as Sandra is told to put the clothing into a bag and take it to her car for further inspection by the police due to imperceptible pockets. When questioning the reasons why, he tells her about a searching of Becky's home because it is based on suspicion that her brother is involved in drugs and that traces of marijuana could be found in the clothing. He tells her not to tell anyone this due to it being confidential.
Sandra insists she must resume managing the restaurant as it is busy, so Daniels directs that a male employee stay with her for "security reasons". Co-worker Kevin is brought in as Marty is sent back to work. After receiving instructions from Daniels to fully inspect Becky's body without the apron on for the money, knowing it has already been done, he refuses to do so and leaves in anger. Sandra's fiance Van is called in to keep watch on her. After conversing with Van for a few moments about his past whereabouts and where he works, instructs him to have her remove the apron and if she doesn't then to do it himself, leading him to question what is asked of him. Daniels then talks with Becky again, telling her how she is going to be sent to jail and given a criminal record and her actions will only make her sentence longer unless she does what she is told.
Becky removes the apron and Van is asked to give details about her body, such as the color and details of her nipples. He is then told to have her turn around and bend over in order to give her a body cavity search while once again giving details of her pubic area. Becky is then told to perform jumping nude under the pretense that contraband may be concealed in her body and to "shake it out". Sandra soon returns afterwards and ignores Becky's pleas for help. She once again leaves as the workers discuss the situation and express their disapproval over how it is being handled. Daniels then directs Van to spank her for being "disrespectful" to Sandra while promising to have her do something "really nice" for him and to keep the phone near so he can overhear it. After being spanked, Becky is coerced into performing oral sex on Van. Sandra returns as Van leaves with guilt and is replaced by the custodian, Harold, who isn't fooled and immediately outraged by Daniels' requests. He quickly leaves in order to tell Sandra about Daniels' requests. Sandra finally calls the regional manager only to find that he has been home ill all day and has no idea about an investigation, making her realize the whole incident is a scam.
The police arrive where they investigate the incident and escort Becky off-site. After calling around nearby areas, they find out that the caller used a calling card and a pre-paid cell phone and that similar incidents have happened in the past in various areas. Eventually, Daniels is identified by closed circuit recordings and is apprehended while at work and is revealed to be a family man working as a telemarketer. Becky meets with an attorney to sort out the best route for a lawsuit. Sandra is found to be unemployed and no longer seeing Van. She is accompanied by her attorney when being interviewed by a journalist about her handling the situation and is advised to not answer the questions put to her while insisting she is a victim as well.
The film ends with a message stating over 70 similar incidents occurred in 30 U.S. states.
Cast
- Ann Dowd as Sandra
- Dreama Walker as Becky
- Pat Healy as the caller ("Officer Daniels")
- Bill Camp as Van
- Philip Ettinger as Kevin
- James McCaffrey as Detective Neals
- Ashlie Atkinson as Marti
Release
Compliance premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in January.[5] The film received a limited release in the United States beginning August 17, 2012. It is released by Soda Pictures in the UK and Ireland on March 22, 2013
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews and Dowd's performance as the manipulated restaurant manager was met with critical acclaim, earning her the National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress.[6][7] The film holds an 89% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[8]
At the premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Compliance was met with controversy, as the audience's response included several walkouts and shouting matches during the film's question and answer session.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "COMPLIANCE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
- ^ Compliance at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Compliance". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ "Movie inspired by McDonald's strip-search hoax in Bullitt County prompts raves, walkouts". The Courier-Journal. August 17, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "2012 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, Next <=> and New Frontier". www.sundance.org. December 1, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ Rosen, Christopher. "National Board Of Review Winners: 'Zero Dark Thirty,' Bradley Cooper, Jessica Chastain". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12/05/2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Lim, Dennis (May 4, 2012). "Royal Entrances For Budding Stars". New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ Compliance, on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.6 on IMDB.
- ^ Miller, Daniel (January 21, 2012). "Sundance 2012: Screaming, Anger at Tension-Filled 'Compliance' Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2012.