Age Doesn't Matter...

"We've run our course." -- Joe, the main character in the film, utters that line towards the end of the film to one of his many women. He is a drifter that seems to casually step into situations where infidelity is virtually inevitable. And when he is tired of the woman, he picks up and leaves with a callousness that reeks of cruelty.

"Young Adam" is an odd movie that pays homage to one of the classics of cinema, Jean Vigo's "L'Atalante". Both films center around a love triangle set on a river barge. This new film starring Ewan MacGregor, Tilda Swinton, Emily Mortimer and Peter Mullan bears more than a similar premise to that legendary work of art. Many of the shots are identical and the barge is even named 'Atlantic Eve'.

I liked the performances in this film very much. MacGregor, like Natalie Portman, is fast overcoming the embarrassing stigma of appearing in the abysmal "Star Wars" prequels by starring in half-a-dozen or so quality independent features in recent years.

I also like the consistent mood of this film. The timeline is nicely traversed with flashbacks seamlessly interwoven. This is a well told story.

Unfortunately, I could not answer a very important question as the closing credits rolled... What was the point? The film wasn't particularly entertaining. I didn't learn anything from the film. It is not particularly original in any way. And yet everything about the film is technically very sound. It was interesting throughout, well acted & proficiently directed. So where do I place my grade? Well, I have to recommend the film because there is nothing particularly bad about it. However, I don't think I would ever feel the urge to see it again. I am stuck in the middle with a marginal recommendation for those of you who are fans of MacGregor, Mortimer and Swinton and can handle an introspective film where the bulk of the action takes place in the minds of the characters.

***

PS - The MPAA slapped this film with an NC17 rating. I would give it a PG13 rating in Europe and an R rating in the US. The difference of course being the overwhelming gap between European's and American's level of maturity when it comes to the subject of sex. But to claim that this is an NC17 film is absolutely ludicrous. NOTE TO THE MPAA -- TITS ARE NOT EVIL!!!

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - B- Richard Propes - B+ Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

"Young Adam" is a challenging film because it is not a hopeful film. Indeed, it seems to say "life goes on, but what value does it have?" Joe Taylor, in all his complexity only ever shows one sign of true caring. In saving a child's life, it is as if Taylor is saying that only an innocent life is worth saving. He seems to question the worth of everyone's life, including his own. As much as some of Taylor's acts seem brutal, in reality I finished the film believing him to be more apathetic than sadistic. He strikes me as the abuse survivor who will burn himself so that he can feel something...Taylor, as played by McGregor, will hurt himself and others because it is a feeling.

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a