cricketbat
The performances, alone, in the film Adam are worth the rating I'm giving it. Hugh Dancy is very convincing as a man with Asperger's Syndrome, and Rose Byrne does a wonderful job of playing the woman with conflicted feelings about loving a man with Asperger's. It's a well-made movie that feels realistic, yet not too harsh. Definitely worth a watch.
waldwuffel-1
First things first: I belong to the kind of reviewers that does have Asperger's Syndrome, and hence, my review will take the portrayal of this condition heavily into account.I will not bother going into detail much about the plot, because frankly, there is not much to talk about, it is a very generic love story that is cast, shot and executed like any other of those hundreds of romantic comedy flicks out there. It is neither extraordinarily bad or good in that regard, and it works quite well in this extent. Now, the twist of the story is that Adam, the male protagonist, has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition that puts him on the autistic spectrum: He is trapped in a world that needs to be in order, predictable and isolated for him to understand it. He cannot relate to other people because he cannot understand their feelings or what they are thinking, he has trouble interpreting indirect commands and figures of speech, and while he is extraordinarily brilliant in his field of interest, engineering and cosmology, these are the only things that matter to him, and he assumes everyone else is as into them as he is. Then Beth moves into an apartment in his house, and turns his world upside down because she shows interest in this awkward guy she just finds cute at first, but manages to see beyond his quirks and oddities to see that there is in fact a kind, honest, loyal and incredibly caring and sweet man that has been dropped into a world he will never fully understand. The rest unfolds in a predictable way, and I won't go mentioning the subplot concerning Beth's father, as it is pretty much just a hook for the main plot to unfold. Where the movie shines is in Hugh Dancy's incredibly authentic performance of an "Aspie" as we like to get called, and it is clear from the very beginning that the actor put a great deal of effort into finding out what the condition defines. I'd like to stress that he is definitely on the far end of the spectrum, meaning that his Asperger's is rather severe. What was truly astonishing is that fact that the film indeed manages to be funny without making fun of the protagonist or the condition itself. We laugh with Beth when she realizes that Adams incredibly inappropriate behaviour does not stem from rudeness or selfishness, but true lack of understanding, and we smile when we see Adam does yet another thing that is socially not accepted in his effort to blend in and be a good partner for Beth. It also gave me a really painful feeling in my heart, because I know many, many of the situations Adam found himself stranded in, and he just did not know how to deal with them. People with Asperger's Syndrome or HFA (High Functioning Autism) are more or less very tragic figures: We are not like those helpless autistics that truly live in another world and are sometimes capable of other amazing feats in return - like Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man -, we are connected enough to still live in the same society, but we have a very hard time understanding the unwritten rules. To us, other people are chaotic, unpredictable and scary, and we have the feeling that we live in a world where we do not belong, a world not made for us and that is changing too rapidly that in our struggle to keep up, we stumble, we fall and we bump into things and people. We come over as self absorbed, preoccupied oddballs, when really all we want is understanding. Our increased longing for solitude and quiet makes bonding with other humans an active task rather than something that comes naturally, something we have to constantly work on. We want to be alone, but we still want company somehow. We have the same feelings and needs ans anyone else, but being unable to express them makes it hard to be understood - and almost impossible to have your wishes fulfill when you care for someone, love them and want to be near them, and yet cannot express your feelings and give your partner the love he wants. I am getting of track, but this movie has touched me, because not only did it portrait Asperger's Syndrome in a dignified and authentic manner, it also showed me what kind of stress it puts on the people we care about - and it is a heavy burden to carry indeed to know that you are making the life of your loved ones so incredibly hard at times.
Armand
a special film. for art to escape from many traps. for science to present a complicated problem in few lines. for impressive Hugh Dancy in a beautiful role. for atmosphere and questions and fragile way to discover the other. a love story by a not ordinary recipes. a drawing as gentle letter. a character behind Asperger syndrome because it is more than pledge for tolerance or moralistic manifesto, more than a beautiful tale or show about crisis. it is occasion for reflection. out of definitions, out of formula of looser versus winner or Charming Prince. in this case , Little Prince is more important. because it is picture of solitude. personal worlds, a father who is not expected idol, a mother for who sacrifice is foundation of marriage but , in same measure, life lesson for future of her daughter, a young woman for who truth is essential in existence and Adam who is himself. that is all. at first sight. just a beginning. the rest is hidden in viewer.
