Adam, 2009
Dir. Max Mayer
“I’m not Forrest Gump, you know?”
This is it, the beginning of my epic film quest to conquer a new film, every day, for an entire year. And I had the pleasure of starting this experience with a delightful film called Adam.
Adam (Hugh Dancy), the film’s titular character, is an Aspie (positive slang for people with Aspergers Syndrome) who is dealing with the death of his father, getting laid off, as well as a subject many of us have trouble grasping, even us NTs (neurotypicals, or people without Aspergers). That is, the subject of love. I can attest to that, anyways. I guess I’d be remiss in continuing this review without explaining that Aspergers is a condition where it is virtually impossible to pick up on social cues, and everything said is taken very literally. Going into a relationship with someone with Aspergers is definitely a departure for the normal, and requires a certain amount of adjustments, and that is largely what this film is getting at.
“I’m not Forrest Gump, you know?”
This is it, the beginning of my epic film quest to conquer a new film, every day, for an entire year. And I had the pleasure of starting this experience with a delightful film called Adam.
Adam (Hugh Dancy), the film’s titular character, is an Aspie (positive slang for people with Aspergers Syndrome) who is dealing with the death of his father, getting laid off, as well as a subject many of us have trouble grasping, even us NTs (neurotypicals, or people without Aspergers). That is, the subject of love. I can attest to that, anyways. I guess I’d be remiss in continuing this review without explaining that Aspergers is a condition where it is virtually impossible to pick up on social cues, and everything said is taken very literally. Going into a relationship with someone with Aspergers is definitely a departure for the normal, and requires a certain amount of adjustments, and that is largely what this film is getting at.
Adam, played wonderfully by Hugh Dancy, meets his new neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne) and after an awkward series of run-ins the two slowly start to get drawn to each other. There is a certain amount of tension here in the first half of the film that never really comes to a head, and that might actually be for the best. Adam never really falls into the cliches that most romance and drama filma seem to display. The relationship between Adam and Beth is always interesting, whether we are seeing their best moments, or their worst, and that is a great triumph for this film. The romance here and chemistry would have made or broken a film of this type, and again, Adam and Beth are believable, quirky, and just a great onscreen pair. They could easily harken back to Forrest and Jenny, from Forrest Gump.
In fact, a lot of this movie is reminiscent of Forrest Gump, something quite ironic as Adam even quotes “I’m not Forrest Gump, you know?” Take out any of the epic set-pieces and the biopic feel of Forrest Gump and you would have a pretty good picture of how Adam plays out and feels. But that isn’t a bad thing. Forrest Gump was a great, truly epic film, but the issues on display in Adam are far more personal and introspective. In fact, you could say Adam is more of a drama than a romance, because the true satisfaction Adam gets isn’t from another person, but it comes from within himself and figuring out his place in the world.
The one word that keeps coming to mind after watching Adam is delightful. It’s a solid film with an interesting and complex characters with a real problem, that actually gets resolved in a way that doesn’t feel cheap. My only concerns are the rushed first thirty minutes, which seem a tad off for an otherwise completely grounded romance. There is also the issue of the somewhat bland soundtrack, which consists of everything you would expect to hear an indie film. Accoustic guitars and a soft, quiet vocal track, about nature or love…or sometimes both.
And in case you haven’t noticed from the review, it is a very offbeat drama, so not everyone will appreciate it. You know, you won’t enjoy Adam if you just want the same recycled romance-comedy that’s been forced down our throats for years now.
4 out of 5
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