Film Reviews

Adam

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Hugh Dancy
• Details: US/TBC TBC

Films about those with disabilities are often easy targets for critics, as generally the productions go either one of two ways. The whole thing is either incredibly heavy-handed and borders on offensive, or you get a genuinely nice surprise, thanks to some subtle performances and assured direction. Adam has some of the latter, and only sporadically engages in the former. Dancy and Byrne are an appealing and believable pairing on screen, and it's to their credit that you buy the relationship, and not the often abrasive writing.
Adam suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, which is described by a peripheral character in the film as "a highly functioning version of autism." When Adam's father dies, he reacts by delving back into his routine and continuing with the rest of his life. Then he meets Beth, and discovers that he doesn't need to live his life in the self-contained bubble he's created for himself and can learn to be more social. Beth has her own issues, having just split from a cheating boyfriend, and is taken in by Adam's often brazen honesty, which offends as much as it does endear. As the two slowly begin a relationship, Beth finds Adams issues difficult to juggle along with her own fledging family problems.
Byrne and Dancy are two actors who have often been the supporting totty in bigger Hollywood productions, so it's genuinely refreshing to see the two of them carry and film and do so extremely well. Adam would be an easy role to oversell, and Dancy dutifully holds back, giving a well-rounded, and suitably erratic performance as the title character. Byrne, too, is solid; her remarkably kind and patient Beth landing just on the right side of quirky. The problem with Adam is it struggles to get out of second gear, and when it finally does, things that would be best delivered subtly are done so by seemingly pandering to the dumbest member of the audience. Writer/director Mayer obviously has something he wants to say about the syndrome, but doesn't always do so with the articulation the performances deserve.
While hardly destined to be a break-out indie hit, two very good performances and an interesting core relationship still make Adam worth checking out.

Review by Mike Sheridan