Friday, Aug. 21, 2009

'Adam': An atypical rumination on the power of love

"Adam" is not your typical love story. It's a thoughtful and sweet rumination on the power of love to transform us, even though it might not be happily ever after. But its emphasis on the universal ability to connect with other people is what gives the film its heart.

This prize winner at Sundance is obviously a labor of love for director-writer Max Mayer, as well as his engaging cast, who inhabit the roles with appropriate gusto.

Adam Raki has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of autism. He's a brilliant electrical engineer whose hobby is astronomy. He can talk anyone's ear off about planets, moons and stars, but can't really read other people's thoughts and feelings.

His sheltered regimented existence is altered when a pretty new neighbor, Beth Buchwald, moves in to his building in Manhattan. She's taken a teaching job at a private school but really wants to write and illustrate children's books.

After getting to know one another, Adam and Beth cautiously begin a relationship. Talk about "it's complicated." The major issue is Adam lives in a separate world. The honesty and social unease are real. Can she cope with someone with special emotional needs? Can they overcome the obstacles in their path?

This is a smart movie about falling in love, for it has no easy answers nor does it provide tidy solutions. Beth does have the courage to put faith in their relationship, but it is trying. She loses patience, but she also opens up a whole new world to him, becoming a life teacher.

It might sound like a Disease-of-the-Week feature, but it really is sensitively handled and an interesting story, albeit bittersweet.

The acting is quite stellar. Dancy is pitch-perfect as the handsome and intense Adam, a tricky yet meatier part than he had in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" or the period pieces he's known for in his native England. He doesn't overdo the uptight "Rain Man" aspect of his role, sensitively handling the character tics.

Byrne, an Emmy nominee for "Damages," is entirely believable as the nice girl who wants to take it slow, for she's on the rebound from a bad break-up. She's also convincing in the subplot as daddy's little girl who finds out more about her father than she wanted to know.

Peter Gallagher and Amy Irving play her parents, who understandably have reservations about her being in a relationship with someone facing such unique challenges, but they have their own problems.

That subplot meanders a little farther from the love story core, but is an integral part. Gallagher and Irving have a nice chemistry together as a long-married couple facing bumps in the road.

Frankie Faison is mighty fine in a supporting role as Adam's dad's Army buddy who helps him after his dad dies, and Mark Linn-Baker ("Perfect Strangers") shows up briefly as Adam's boss.

"Adam" admirably shows us an unfamiliar world. It's a gentle and convincing movie that will win over your heart.

3 stars

Director: Max Mayer

Starring: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison.

Rated: PG-13 for thematic material, sexual content and language.

Length: 1:39

Should you go: Hand over your heart