Analyzing Evil: Sy Parrish From One Hour Photo

Hello everyone and welcome to the ninety-first episode of Analyzing Evil! Our feature villain for this video is Sy Parrish from One Hour Photo. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for watching. If you have any feedback or questions feel free to let me know below!

National Suicide Hotline: [phone]

#SyParrish #OneHourPhoto #RobinWilliams

[ryanarment]

I think that it's telling that he just wanted to be "uncle Sy". He didn't want to displace will as the central male figure until after he discovered the affair. Even then it was still as "uncle Sy" not as the new father or husband. He just wanted to be a part of a group of people who would love and embrace him. That really shows how low his sense of self worth was.

[thomascrowley]

Insomnia and One Hour Photo in the same year. Robin Williams was definitely trying to show he wasn't just a comedic actor

[griffinblue]

It's interesting that Sy's pet is a Syrian Hamster, an animal that needs to be isolated from other hamsters.
Probably a reflection of Sy's own life.

[MidTierVillain]

It seems Robin tapped into the darkest side of himself to play that role. He stated he felt lonely, depressed, and sad- he hid it with heroin abuse. If anybody ever had a problem with drug addiction, knows it only gets darker.. you can’t fix depression, or loneliness with drugs; eventually you snap, and end up doing something you’d never do while sober minded.

RIP ROBIN WILLIAMS, truly one of the greatest to ever do it.

[crownlessking]

I was hurt this year, my life almost destroyed by someone who suffered as a child. Problem with "sad origins" is, as my good friend and mentor told me "no matter what brought you there, once you are aware what you are doing, you are responsible"

[GirlRot]

Sy’s story is painful to even hear. Really puts the saying “hurt people hurt people” into perspective.

[VideoGameAutopsy]

It’s sad how Sy’s obsession was all for naught. Yes, the Yorkin family might live an idyllic life through pictures, but beyond that, they are completely inconsequential. They just happened to be the family he chose to obsess over.

[TaliaIGhul]

This is probably one of the most saddest characters you analyzed. The man literally had no one, except his imagined family and his traumas.

[madam-mint]

Seeing the camera swing around in that Christmas shot to see Sy holding up a sweater for a picture of his own, with such an innocent-looking smile on his face…gosh, it made me tear up. Loneliness and isolation can make people go crazy, although it doesn’t excuse evil actions

[jamesnurgle]

I love the mirror saying "check your smile". It's perfectly normal American corporate horror but also a skill that many very dangerous people will practice for hours in a mirror.

[sharonjensen]

I found "One Hour Photo" more psychologically scary than any in-your-face, blood and guts horror movie.

[Bingo_the_Pug]

“No one ever takes a picture of something they want to forget.”

[canderoussnurd]

The only thing I can say about Sy is “You poor, poor man”. I genuinely pity him because I see people like him wa liking the streets. Lost souls that would give anything in the world to just feel loved and yet have no idea how to seize it. They are the people that the world throws out and laughs at. And in Sy’s case, tormented at a tender age and left him with no real way to ever connect with people. Had he just one person willing to help him things could’ve been different for him. He’d always be damaged but at the very least he could find a way to live with the damage and work around it. But life is seldom fair. One way or the other.

[Thagomizer]

I know he's disturbed, but this character always breaks my heart.

[TheRetroReplay]

I find it interesting that people can look at a character like Sy, someone who is longing for companionship, love, and belonging, but is socially awkward and unable to really integrate themselves into society and feel bad for him. But when the come across these people in real life, they want nothing to do with them, because they're "creepy" and society not only willingly, but happily chews them up and spits them out in addition to taking advantage of them because they don't usually don't say no, almost always saying yes because they crave human interaction

[UATU.]

The harsh artificial lighting really added to the creepiness. I haven’t watched it in years but a single clip brought it all back. Thank you for covering this movie, it is very underrated.

[kallemattiwaris]

Before seeing this movie I would never in a million years have imagined Robin Williams as terrifying. It's a weird feeling to be equally terrified for the villain as for his intended victims, hoping beyond hope he will not do anything irreversible.

[bigburr]

Sy is a guy that would've been well served by The Sims.

[jairojrnj]

There’s thousands of people like Sy (empty lives). Which is why it’s important to be nice to EVERYONE . Like saying thank you, hello or I like your glasses means the world to some people. RIP RW

[pinkiepiebiggestfan]

It was once said by a great philosopher

"There is nothing sadder, profound, and emotionally moving than seeing a clown cry"

I feel that is very true when looking at Robin Williams acting career.