Recently, my friend told me that I should go see Adam, the 2009
movie written and directed by Max Mayer that details the relationship
between Beth, an aspiring children’s book author, and Adam, an
electrical engineer with Asperger’s Syndrome. When I mentioned the movie
to my mom, she said that she’d been wanting to see it too, so it
quickly made its way to the top of my Netflix queue.
Adam is portrayed by Hugh Dancy, a Brit who previously charmed me in Ella Enchanted and The Jane Austen Book Club,
and I found him just as adorable here as a quirky American with a sweet
temperament, an expansive interest in astronomy and a deep discomfort
with social interaction. Rose Byrne is equally endearing as Beth, who
moves into his apartment building and quickly develops a friendship with
him, even as she notes the awkwardness of their conversations and
wonders if she is the cause.
Twenty minutes or so into the
film is when the term “Asperger’s Syndrome” first comes up, at which
point the movie briefly takes an overly didactic turn, making it feel
more like an after-school special than a feature for theaters. But aside
from a few minutes of rather heavy-handed explanations of how those
with Asperger’s differ from “neuro-typicals,” I felt that Adam’s traits
were integrated pretty naturally into the movie.
While both
leads are very sympathetic, Adam’s bluntness and difficulty in
connecting with emotions and social cues sometimes frustrate Beth and
cause her to react sharply. Meanwhile, when he is confronted with an
upsetting situation, Adam has a tendency to throw tantrums that are
destructive and, Beth fears, potentially violent. All told, I think the
two aren’t so different as Mayer would have us think; both are quiet,
polite outsiders with an occasional angry streak.
We see a
variety of different people react to Adam, whether it’s his boss, who
tries to be kind but is ultimately more concerned about this young man’s
impact on his company’s bottom line, or a police officer who sees him
lurking near the playground of the school where Beth teaches and takes
rather brutal action. Adam’s closest friend is his dad’s old buddy
Harlan, played with an appealing mix of crustiness and warmth by Frankie
Faison. He’s known Adam his whole life, so he is better equipped to
understand where he’s coming from than most. There’s a lot of respect
there from both ends, and I found their relationship one of the most
enjoyable aspects of the movie.
Beth, too, is an only child,
but while Adam is an orphan, both of her parents are very much alive.
Peter Gallagher comes across as affectionate and uppity as her father, a
businessman whose indictment causes Beth a great deal of anguish. He’s
likable at times, but he also comes across as controlling and sleazy.
Amy Irving is more like her daughter and more helpful in navigating the
ups and downs of the romance that develops between Beth and Adam.
I enjoyed the look of this movie, which accentuates natural beauty even
in the midst of bustling New York. A night-time stroll in the park
proves especially lovely, and Adam’s living-room planetarium is an
impressive sight. I also enjoyed the soundtrack, which feels mellow and
folkie-ish, with one song reminding me very much of the sound of Simon and Garfunkel.
Additionally, the opening voice-over from Beth comparing Adam to the
Little Prince (and herself to the pilot) is effective in setting the
tone of the movie and hinting at the direction in which it might go.
This is a quiet little movie about two people getting to know one
another and growing because of that experience. It’s neither dry and
clinical nor especially sappy; as Adam says in response to Beth’s
inquiry about what living with Asperger’s feels like, “It just is.” Straightforward, with turns that are sweet, funny and sad, Adam was worth the recommendation, which I will gladly pass along.
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