Sundance Day 9: ADAM, THE GREATEST, the awards party!
ADAM, the charming love story between a young man with Aspergers syndrome and the girl next door, is the kind of film my mom would love. As a big fan of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, she would savor the references to The Little Prince and as a math teacher for dyslexic kids, admire Adams leaps to overcome his disability. She would also appreciate the fact that for once, there is a film about a relationship between two 20 somethings that does not contain sex scenes leaving little to the imagination.
That being said, ADAM should in no sense be viewed as a film reserved for parents, teachers and lovers of classic childrens literature, but rather one of those rare works of fiction that has the ability to reach out to a universal audience.
Directed by established New York theatre director Max Mayer, ADAM is a heartfelt drama that gives insight into the world of a brilliant young engineer who is incapable of interacting socially like everyone else(Aspergers syndrome appears to be one of the hot topics at this years Sundance, as it was also explored in the claymation film MARY AND MAX, which I reviewed on Day 1)
In ADAM, Hugh Dancey is extraordinary as the films title character and his performance is so believable that it prompted one member of the audience to inquire as to whether the actor has the condition himself. Up and coming actress Rose Byrne is also excellent as Adams love interest Beth, a sensitive school teacher/aspiring writer from a wealthy New York family. The courtship between the unlikely pair plays out beautifully against the backdrop of Manhattan and the scenic imagery professes an adoration for the city as pronounced as an I heart NYC t-shirt.
While the overall tone of the film is romantic and at times, a bit whimsical, Mayer avoids a typical Hollywood ending and injects bouts of humour into the conflict-heavy script (watch for a particularly genius line when Adam makes a reference to FORREST GUMP). Wonderfully rich and original, ADAM showcases Mayer's talents as a director and communicates an important message about the human capacity to love against all odds.
(Note: Earlier this week, ADAM recieved Sundance's prestigious Alfred P. Sloane prize for cinematic excellence on a theme of science engineering and mathematics)
After having witnessed her breakthrough performance in AN EDUCATION, I was curious to see how the freshly minted English starlet Carey Mulligan would interpret a young American teen in THE GREATEST.
In the debut drama by writer/director Shana Feste, Mulligan plays the role of Rose, the high school crush and brief girlfriend of a recent high school grad named Bennett. When Bennett life ends tragically in a car accident, his parents and brother struggle to cope with his death, which is further heightened when Rose appears in their lives to announce that she is pregnant with Bennetts child.
Mulligan is indeed outstanding once again, and gives a moving, highly nuanced performance as a young woman who yearns to connect with the family of her unborn child. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon are also solid in their portrayal of the grieving parents and Michael Shannon gives a great cameo as a truck driver involved with the accident.
Despite the brilliant cast and tear-jerking subject matter, the highly constructed script and its nagging presence throughout the film takes away from the emotional impact of the story. The cliché ridden dialogue feels schmoltzy and heavy-handed and the plot line is painfully predictable, not to mention a bit far-fetched at times (when Rose learns she is pregnant, she immediately moves in with Bennetts family despite the fact that she has never met them before the funeral).
Criticisms aside, one of the mot positive aspects of THE GREATEST is an original, well shot opening sequence, which jump-cuts effectively from a flash back during Rose and Bennetts one and only night of passion, to the bleak funeral scene which features a deliberately long take of the family riding together in the hearse.
While certainly not the greatest film in the festival (or even close), Feste demonstrates that she has an interesting visual sense as a director and would likely benefit from a collaboration with an established screenwriter the next time around.
This evening was awards night here at Sundance and marked the beginning of the end of my blogging adventure in Park City. While I decided to forgo the ceremony, I did manage to make an appearance at the awards after party which was held in one of the festivals screening venues, a recreational center called the Racquet Club.
While the party had the atmosphere of a high school reunion (most likely because it was held in a decorated gymnasium) it was a great opportunity to say goodbye to festival friends and reminisce on the past ten days. Some of the notable winners included the film PUSH based on the novel by Sapphire, which swept both the jury and audence award categories for best dramatic feature, and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, a timely piece about the proponent of Internet voyeurism which picked up the jury prize in the documentary category. I will be reviewing these two films tomorrow, but for a list of winners and photos from the ceremony check out: http://festival.sundance.org/2009/.