Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Adore

There’s a scene early in the dangerous and erotic new film, Adore, in which two best friends sit on a beach and admire their grown sons surfing in the ocean. “My God… did we do that?” one asks gleefully. “They’re beautiful. They’re like young Gods.”

The beauty of this moment is that it hints at where Adore is taking us. As life long best friends Lil (Naomi Watts) and Roz (Robin Wright) lovingly observe their sons from afar, we gather that these are more than mere looks of admiration. These are glances of temptation. The subtlety of Watts and Wright’s acting talents discard any creepiness that could have found its way into the scene. Instead, we witness two, middle-aged women who are silently teasing themselves with What if.


This is how much of the first act of the film carries on: best friends laze about their lavish beach homes, tanning, drinking, eating, all in the close company of Lil’s son, Ian (Xavier Samuel) and Roz’s son, Tom (James Frecheville). After one particularly festive night of casual partying, Ian makes a sexual advance toward Roz, which she hesitantly accepts. Tom catches them in the act, and instead of saying anything, he walks over to Lil’s house and announces what he’s seen. Shortly thereafter, Lil and Tom neglect their innocence by cashing in on their sexual tension.

So here’s the thing. In any other movie, the scenes I’ve described could be viewed as sleazy. But director Anne Fontaine is more controlled than that. Instead of depicting these respective affairs as vulgar acts, she displays them as mature moments of passion. The film constantly toes the line of going too far, but never officially does. It’s risqué, but never perverted. Erotic, but never lewd.

It’s also very smart. Once Lil and Roz learn what the other has done, they don’t react violently. There’s no screaming or casting of blame. They’re both equally guilty and they both know it. So they have a conversation. A controlled, mature conversation in which they acknowledge their single, careless mistakes, and promise to never do it again. A promise that is quickly broken.
Adore (which premiered at Sundance as Two Mothers, and is being released in some countries as Perfect Mothers, both inferior titles) is a film that aims to challenge us. Aside from its salacious subject material, the film is patient in its execution, and unnerving in its character choices. Some scenes are extended conversations – arguments or testaments of love. Other lengthy sequences contain not a single word of dialogue, while other scenes are brief, with only a few sentences passed. Point is, Fontaine and her co-writer, Christopher Hampton, know exactly what to show us and how long to show it. Not a single second is misspent in this film, nor a line wasted.

As Lil and Roz, respectively, Watts and Wright deliver some of their finest work to date. These are fearless, nuanced performances in which the women embrace their sexuality, but never shy away from letting the insecurity of age creep in. I rarely agreed with the decisions Lil and Roz made, but I never once judged them for their actions. In fact, I sat on the edge of my seat, wondering desperately how they were going to untangle this mess.
Christophe Beaucarne’s cinematography deserves specific mention as well, as Adore is one of the most gorgeous films I’ve seen so far this year. The way Beaucarne catches light glistening off the ocean, or slightly overexposes a moment of intimacy, or reflects a spotlight off a cocktail dress during a stage production, all speak tellingly to the scene at hand. He can say as much with the beautiful landscape of Australia’s New South Wales as he can with Naomi Watts’ swollen, despondent reflection in a bathroom mirror. 

There’s so much left to say about this film, all of which the film can say far better than I. Truth is, Adore is one of the most tonally unique films I’ve seen. Although I quickly became entranced by its spell, I was always aware that it could push too far and turn me away. Scanning other reviews for the film, it’s clear that Adore is not for everyone. It’s a complicated story with little regard to any and all complications, with a consistent balance of love, loss, and anguish. I loved every second of it, but can’t promise that you will as well. A 

32 comments:

  1. I was kinda apprehensive about seeing this but your review has motivated me to go check this out. Thanks Alex!
    -Dan

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    1. My pleasure! Apparently it's not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it.

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  2. Interesting, I had read some reviews of this film and from what I saw, it appeared that almost no one liked it. Nice to see that one of my favorite critics is at least open to a more interesting breed of film like this one. I have yet to see it yet but am very interested based on who's involved. Watts can do no wrong (at least not yet... I have yet to see Diana).

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    1. I was frankly stunned by all the negative reviews for this one. I don't read reviews until I've written mine, so my opinion was based solely on the film itself. Don't really know what to say except that it worked for me in every way. Be very interested to hear your take.

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  3. Man, now you got me to want to see this. Even w/ that shot of Robin Wright's gorgeous ass. Sean Penn, you fucked yourself.

    That shot of Naomi Watts' face... fuck... that is acting.

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    1. Yeah, two amazingly beautiful and amazingly gifted actresses in this one. I really dug it.

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  4. I wasn't really that interested in this one(seemed like "your mom" the movie) but your review was quite powerful. I may try to see it after all

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    1. Damn man, thanks for saying that. I know exactly what you mean about it being a "your mom" kind of movie, but it is much smarter than that. Really quite special.

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  5. I didn't love it as much but I did like it. I called it smart as well.. just the subtle way of showing a really complex plot that was verging on going too wrong in any second.

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    1. Yeah exactly. You never knew when it was going to steer too far, but for me, it never did. Gonna check out your review today!

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  6. Wow, seems like I'll have to see this one! I was always kinda interested in it (good cast, and I wanna see how James Frecheville's career will fly after Animal Kingdom), but the negative reviews kinda warned me off it. It does certainly look quite different, I must say!

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    1. Very different indeed. I suppose I was kind of shocked when I first saw the negative reviews, but I think because it dodges convention, that makes people uneasy. Or something. Ha.

      Frecheville is really good in it. The other kid isn't given as much screentime, which is a shame, but Frecheville kills it.

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  7. Naomi Watts? Robin Wright? Daring story? Love, loss and anguish?

    Based on your review, I think this is a film I'll love. That photo of Naomi Watts without make-up on just increased my respect for her ten-fold. Well, her brilliant integrity as an actress isn't surprising, especially when one thinks of the vulnerable and disturbing scenes she had in Mulholland Drive.

    I can't wait to see this film! Thanks Alex :)

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    1. No problem! I don't think Watts or Wright wear make-up in much of this movie at all. There are a few scenes when they get done up for parties, but for the most part, it's them in all their glory, and I love it.

      Really hope you get a chance to check this one out. Would love hearing your take on it.

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  8. Interesting, I've never heard of this one, but it sounds like something I may have to check out eventually. Great review!

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    1. Thanks! I really loved it. Could very well be on my Top 10 of the year by year's end.

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  9. I liked the approach this movie took to the controversial story, however, I also feel like they didn't do much with it either. They didn't judge these gals for wanting to get it on with these younger dudes, but they also didn't want to show them doing anything else outside of that act. It got old after awhile, and made me wish Mendelshon's character just wised up to the whole thing and started beating the hell out of everybody. That would have spiced things up a bit, I hate to say. Nice review though bud.

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    1. I see where you're coming from, and I honestly think the film's lack of convention is what is turning people off about it. I've seen the husband confronting the cheating wife scene dozens of times over (I actually think I made a list about those scenes at some point) and the fact that Adore DOESN'T have one of those scenes is rather unnerving.

      It's a simple story, but one I was wholly entranced by.

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  10. Wonderful review! I read many negative things about the movie but it does seem like it's just one of those movies you either dig or not so maybe I was just unlucky that stuff I read was negative. And man Watts is so brave just from those screenshots - she looks so natural, like she wasn't wearing any make up at all. That's really cool of her, I'm so tired seeing all those actresses looking like they just came on the set from award ceremonies.

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    1. Thanks! I honestly think people aren't digging this one because it never really lets you judge the two main characters. It's a challenging film that never casts blame, and that can seriously make people uneasy. But beyond that, it is a very slow film, which the majority of people don't like, I suppose.

      Watts is fierce as hell in this one.

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  11. Woah, I guess I need to give this one a chance after all. Nice review.

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    1. Thanks man. I thought it was really damn special. Probably crack my Top 10 of the year.

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  12. Awesome review and surprisingly positive. Love your picture selection here!

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    1. Thanks! Loved this movie loved the look of it. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

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  13. Great review! I didn't expect to like it, but I did. The cinematography was great!

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    1. Thanks! Oh god, the cinematography was gorgeous. Really liked this one.

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  14. Good review.

    I think some people have focused too much on the weirdness of the set up of the relationships & how unrealistic it may be.

    I thought it revealed many layers between characters, questioning the motives behind their choices. It had a Greek mythology feel to it.

    Watts & Wright were terrific, love how Wright shows all that inner turmoil. Dialogue was a little off in places but I thought cinematography was great, I too loved the stage light coming of the sequin dress.

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    1. Thanks. I agree with you here. What's funny about people not thinking these relationships are unrealistic is that many of those same people are willing to believe that in the near future, giant alien beings are attacking our planet and we have to send huge robots in to destroy them. Film is never really about reality, you know? But if one feels as real as Adore, then it works even better.

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  15. Great review Alex, I was interested in this from the beginning, when I first heard it was being made. I am a bit annoyed by the fact there are 3 working titles, how do I know what to look for? Other than that, can't wait to see it :)

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    1. Thanks D! I agree, the trio of titles is very confusing. Film names are often changed once a studio picks them up at a festival, but I dunno, too much going on here.

      Hope you're doing well!

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  16. What constitutes a 'good' romantic relationship? Does it matter if both parties know that it is going to end badly? We cannot give into every single deep deisre, but which do we fulfill? Are we just prisoners of unsatisfied carnal desires? Challenging questions from a challenging movie, not quite sure how much I liked it, but it certainly intrigued me. Definitely divisive film and subject material, if nothing else makes Australia look outstandingly beautiful in the constant sunlight.

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    1. Very challenging questions indeed. This is one of those films that I knew nothing about, watched it, loved it, wrote about it, posted my review, then realized no one else liked it. I was really surprised by that. But oh well.

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