MOVIE REVIEW – Adoration
MOVIE REVIEW – Adoration
Directed by Anne Fontaine
Starring Naomi Watts, Robin Penn, Ben Mendelsohn
Reviewed by Trulie Pinnegar
7/10
Director Anne Fontaine wows the audience with the opening shots of this movie (named Two Mothers everywhere else in the world). We are taken on a whistle stop tour of the lead characters as they grow to the characters we will know throughout the rest of the movie – the scene where the two boys enter the surf as children and exit as young adults is breathtaking.
However, onto the story. It’s difficult with all the trailers and hype about this movie not to have an idea about what to expect before you enter the cinema. So it is a conscious effort to remain objective as the tail unfolds.
Lil (Naomi Watts) and Roz (Robin Penn) are childhood friends, possibly closer than siblings could be. They both have a son – Lil has Ian (Xavier Samuel) and Roz has Tom (James Frecheville). Lil’s husband died when the boys were about 10 and Roz is still married to Harold (Ben Mendelsohn). The 2 boys grew up together as their mothers did and they all still live very close.
The story takes shape when we see Harold making a potentially life-changing decision without consulting Roz. This seems to send Roz into the arms of another – the startling (although not unexpected) thing is that it is into the arms of Ian. I say ‘seems to’ as the real catalyst for Roz’s infidelity is the one weak part of an otherwise strong gripping storyline. Tom sees his mum leave Ian’s bed which then leads him into the arms of Lil – to spite Ian and Roz maybe? Ironically, it is his illicit relationship with Lil, after many years and moral dilemmas, that eventually leads to Lil and Roz’s relationship being stretched to the limits.
The tail of the unconventional relationships that the audience follows leaves many of them stunned, amazed and shocked. However, there are also many in the audience who are laughing at the most inappropriate situations.
The movie most certainly wasn’t comedic. It was emotional, disturbing and sad – the degree of this sadness made it even more disturbing. The sadness and emotional aspect was generated from viewing the film as a love story. Albeit forbidden, it was hard not to feel for the characters when they made the decision that the ‘right’ thing to do was to part. The disturbing part was when viewers allowed themselves to examine the illicitness of the relationships. This then begs the question, was the audiences’ inappropriate laughter more indicative of their discomfort rather than the film being comedic?
Other than the weak part of the storyline leaving the audience wondering what was the root cause of the start of the love affairs, the movie is a must see. Not only for the cinematography but for the way it challenges the viewer’s moral fibre, leaving more questions posed at the end of the movie than at the beginning.
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Category: Movie & Theatre Reviews