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Zone's Eye View of "Focus" 

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Synopsis of movie, courtesy of Paramout Classics:

What would it be like to wake up one day and find that you have become your enemy, to really get the chance to live in his shoes, to experience his most chilling fears, to take his blows? 

In 1940s Brooklyn, in a rapidly changing world at war, prejudice and fear were rampant. In this atmosphere of mistrust and unfounded terror lives Lawrence Newman, an ordinary man who does not want to stand out in a dangerous world. Even when a woman is attacked outside his Brooklyn window, he remains quiet about what he saw, unwilling to makes waves and so fearful, indulging his sight to question what he truly saw. 

And then he buys a new pair of glasses. 

It is this fateful decision that changes the way the entire world sees him ­ and ultimately how he sees the world. 

Unassuming Newman and his sexy, outspoken newlywed wife Gertrude become caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Suddenly the unwitting focus of his neighbors' prejudice, Newman is faced with a choice: to go down as a coward or take a long shot at becoming the unlikeliest of heroes ­ and tell the truth. 

Focus is a riveting and distinctly American tale of love and hate, silence and crime, insidious intolerance and unexpected redemption. It is is a story about what it is like to have the way you see the world radically shifted by how others see you. It is a fable of mistaken identity. It is a hero's journey. But most of all it is a deeply human drama about the dangers of not speaking the truth ­ and allowing fear to take root. 

Now for The Zone's Eye View

By Laura Alber

Focus, based on playwright Arthur Miller's 1945 novel is an unfortunate look into the reality of racism and anti-Semitism that is all too close to home even now. Though based in the 1940’s, this problem is still very real.

William H. Macy ("Fargo") plays Lawrence Newman, the head of human resources in a large company whose policy states that no Jews are allowed to work there. He must turn away several candidates, and accidentally hires a Jewish woman, and pays the price by having to fire her. While trying to find a replacement, he meets Gertrude Hart (Laura Dern), and assumes that she too is Jewish. Without even waiting for his answer, Gertrude walks out of the office, fully knowing what’s about to happen.

Lawrence lives in a close neighborhood, where everyone knows everyone and their personal business. One night Lawrence witnesses a rape of a Puerto Rican woman on the street, but because he does not wish to start trouble with his neighbors he keeps quiet about the incident. It seems the whole neighborhood is trying to rid their streets of the Jews, including long time resident and merchant (David Paymer). As much as Lawrence would like to speak up about their plans, he keeps his feelings to himself. He is also concerned with the repercussions to his mother with whom he lives with.

Lawrence is told by his employer that he needs to take the day off to get some glasses, since it is very clear that he can’t see a thing without them. He does what he is instructed, and this is when his world begins to crumble. It seems that the glasses he’s forced to wear make him appear to look Jewish. Although the whole neighborhood knows differently, they still don’t like the look of it. His employers feel the same way as they try to relocate him and give him a different job that would put him in the back office, hidden from the public eye. Lawrence finally takes a stand with this, and refuses the new job and quits.

He finds himself going through what he now knows the Jewish people must go through to find a job. Turned down again and again. Until, one day he enters a business in which Gertrude is in charge of setting up interviews for. She is still a bit upset at what happened at her interview, but after talking with him, and him telling her how sorry he is that he assumed she was Jewish, she warms up to him enough to get him an interview. He gets the job only because one of the partners is Jewish, but he also gets to see Gertrude daily. The two begin to build a bond together, and soon are married.

When Gertrude moves into the neighborhood with Lawrence, the people see what they believe to be a Jewish woman. So, the “Union” which meets at Fred’s (Meat Loaf Aday) house, decides to try and “persuade” them to leave. When that doesn’t work, they meet up with some thugs on the street. It is time for Lawrence to take a stand, or take his mother and bride away to live somewhere else.

The true to life events unfortunately haven’t changed that much in 60 years. There is still so much racism, and anti-Semitism, among other problems. You would think that we would learn from past mistakes, but we would rather categorize people and blame them whenever something bad happens. I wish I could say eventually this problem will go away, but with so many angry people in the world, I don’t see that happening. It’s a shame too; those angry and bigoted people don’t know what they’re missing by befriending some of these people they claim to hate. It’s a sad subject, but the movie portrays these problems beautifully and truthfully. Both William H. Macy and Laura Dern are convincing as the outcasts of the neighborhood, and are only trying to live happily in their new life together. Beautiful dialogue between the characters, and the filming is shot in a way that when things are at their worst, the lighting is dark, just like the mood. Bravo to this movie, I only hope it opens some minds. The Zone gives Focus a 6 out of 10 for wonderful performances and direction.