Adam

Virtually all relationships have their difficulties so you can just imagine, as the film Adam tries to do, what would happen if one of the parties had Asperger's syndrome. Hugh Dancy plays Adam, and as a result of his affliction misses all the subtleties of life, almost like a young child. Rose Byrne, from TV's Damages, plays his neighbor Beth, an elementary school teacher who is attracted to Adam, as Adam is to her. In many ways Adam is like one of Beth's innocent students, except for the fact that he's a virtual genius in the field of physics and has an almost obsessive interest in space and the stars. Peter Gallagher and Amy Irving plays Beth's parents affluent parents, and dad is none too happy about the relationship; he feels she'll be more of a mother to him than a partner. Although numerous films have been made concerning people with mental disabilities I really can't think of any involving a so-called normal person involved in a romantic relationship with one. Although I'm no expert on Asperger's, the film seems to handle the subject matter with a high degree of honesty; of course there are some typical "Hollywood" touches to the story, and if there weren't it would be called "real life" and not a film. The film isn't perfect, but has some good performances, and sheds some light on a world most "normal" people never get to see.

Rating - 3 (Light)