Tricks and manipulation
Compliance (2012): The movie makes you wonder – How could anybody be tricked into falling for such outlandish manipulation? But that's where the power comes from in writer-director Craig Zobel's startling film with its understated performances: This did happen, over and over, across the country. He's just exposing an element of human nature we'd rather suppress. A prank phone caller pretending to be a police officer (Pat Healy) tells the middle-aged manager of a fast-food restaurant (Ann Dowd) that a young, pretty employee (Dreama Walker) has stolen money from a customer, and leads her though a series of increasingly invasive, degrading investigative steps. Everyone goes along with this charade – no one thinks to question it – and all you can do is sit in your seat and watch, and squirm. (Video grab)
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