Auto Focus (2002)

Auto Focus is the rare true-crime drama that doesn’t chase sensationalism so much as quietly, relentlessly watch a public smile crack under the weight of private obsession. Paul Schrader directs with a cool, clinical focus that turns the film into a hypnotic character study, and Greg Kinnear is startlingly good at showing how charm and denial can coexist in the same man, scene after scene. Willem Dafoe brings a sly, unsettling energy that makes every interaction feel like it’s nudging the story toward a place you don’t want to go but can’t stop watching. It’s dark, uncomfortable, and deliberately unglamorous about its subject—so it won’t be for everyone—but if you like adult dramas that linger in the mind, this one is gripping and oddly resonant.

Auto Focus is clearly trying to be a cold, cautionary character study about a public “nice guy” image rotting from the inside, and Paul Schrader commits to that unsparing, clinical approach. The problem is it can feel more like watching obsession on repeat than watching a story build—there’s a queasy, monotonous drift where you keep waiting for the drama to truly ignite. The seamy subject matter isn’t handled for titillation, but it’s still relentless, and if you’re not interested in addiction psychology or moral decay, it may just feel unpleasant rather than illuminating. That said, Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe are sharply cast, and their performances give the film an uneasy credibility even when the movie’s momentum doesn’t.