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Sundance 2009 Review: Max Mayer's Adam
January 22, 2009
by Alex Billington
I thought it couldn't get any better than 500 Days of Summer here at Sundance. I loved that film so much, that hardly anything could even compare to it. But then I saw Adam, a wonderfully charming and beautiful story about falling in love. While it doesn't necessarily reach the same heights as 500 Days, it's the next best thing, and easily one of my very favorite films from the fest. Adam begins by showing us the stars in the sky while Rose Byrne explains in a voice over that she thought she knew everything about love, but it wasn't until she met Adam (Hugh Dancy) that she realized she had so much more to learn. As did I.
Adam suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, that primarily affects his social skills. He is a fairly normal person, perhaps actually quite brilliant, who perceives every statement as it is, meaning he doesn't understand jokes and metaphors. He has no social filter and is unable to understand what people are thinking. As unfortunate as this is, it makes Adam such a lovable character, because he is trying so hard to be accepted, and is quirky in the way he acts. Beth (Byrne) moves in to the apartment above him in New York City and the two meet and begin to spend some time together, albeit in initially awkward ways.
The story is actually a lot more complex than that. The film starts just after Adam's father has passed away and we soon see that Adam, who's working as an electrical engineer at a toy company, is struggling to keep things together living by himself. Beth, on the other hand, moves in alone into the apartment above him, and encounters her own emotional problems when her dad is accused of fraud. There is so much that makes this such an extraordinary film, but at the very base, it's this endearing love story that establishes the rigorous frame for the remainder of the film to be built around. From there, it just takes off.
In addition to Max Mayer's exquisite directing and Christopher Lennertz' enchanting score, the reason why this was such a phenomenal film is due to not one, but two, important people — Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. These two have delivered some of the most affecting performances I've seen in the last year. Dancy unquestionably becomes the quirky character, both innocent and likable, while Byrne made me melt in every last scene. The chemistry these two have, even when not together, helped greatly to bring to life this exceptional story. Whether you are in love or not, Adam proves there is still so much more to discover.
Sundance Rating: 9 out of 10
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Reader Feedback - 14 Comments »
1
Sounds interesting. Make sure to post a trailer as soon as you get it.
Kassandra on Jan 22, 2009
2
Agree with #1. Sounds very interesting 
max on Jan 22, 2009
3
Rose Byrne is one of my favourite actresses! Can't wait to see this one!
Janika on Jan 22, 2009
4
I absolutely love Hugh Dancy and can't wait to see how he creates his character Adam to life. I think Rose Byrne is a great choice to play opposite him. I'll wait, but can't wait to see this movie.
I wish it the best. I would love to see a trailer of this film.
athena on Jan 22, 2009
5
Agree about the trailer. I would love to see if the lead actor pulls off a good Asperger's Syndrome. The guy on Boston Legal did a GREAT job with that. Post the trailer whenever you get it!
Amani on Jan 22, 2009
6
I greatly enjoyed Adam specially because of the score/soundtrack (which was amazing). It was a good movie until the ending which in my opinion made the movie much better.
I just saw the premiere of In the loop, and if you haven't already you should definitely check that out. Its the best comedy in the fest. Closely following 2nd is humpday but this is just the finest form of political satire that you can get.
Aequitas on Jan 22, 2009
7
Please post a trailer! I live in Salt Lake but I'm not able to see all of these films coming out, but i've started a list of ones i want to see but it's hard to know without getting a taste of what they're like.
Arp on Jan 23, 2009
9
Thank you Mr. Mayer, I can't wait to see this movie. My husband has Asperger's as do our two daughters. And it is hard to make people understand what Asperger's is like. I'm sure that many families will be looking forward to you movie.
Nancy M. on Jan 24, 2009
10
I cannot wait to see this film!
fellow aspergian, Hannah on Jul 1, 2009
11
When we went to see the movie, there was a trailer for a new movie called "Adam," about a wierd guy with Asperger's. My son has Asperger's and I could NOT believe how they portrayed this guy. My son asked me "Mom, am I like that??" I can't believe that a movie would be made that makes fun of people and paints a whole group as the same. There are degrees of autism and the social struggles are definitely not funny.
Terri Blackwelder on Aug 9, 2009
12
Thankyou for this movie. Can't wait to see it. My youngest son has Aspergers and Adam just sounds like him. Wow!
Cathy Welch on Aug 20, 2009
13
This sounds like a pretty good movie. This is the first I've heard of it but the comments make it out to be a good movie that is going low under the radar.
Golden rule on Sep 14, 2009
14
It should be an interesting story that appeals to families and high school kids alike.
Insurance medical on Sep 14, 2009