Review of Adam

Adam (IV) (2019)
6/10
Nearly Great
12 January 2024
Frankly growing a little tired of this filmmaking style seemingly all low-budget drama productions around the world have adopted. Same flat, digital look; same aspect ratio; same shot - reverse shot methods of shooting; same handheld camerawork; same 'loose' plot structure. What helps set this apart from the homogeny, besides the great subject matter, are two genuinely fantastic leads who devastate with graceful subtlety and naturalness, and a tone that manages the balancing act of misery and hopefulness. It's actually pretty great until it grinds to a screeching halt to have its "now we are sad and cry" portion that constitutes the final ~15 minutes. Not that you can't have your emotional swings, but it holds this for way too long and really made me yearn for those excellent quiet moments earlier on. There's a scene around the midpoint where these two women spill their beans and it's as tragic as it is genuinely empowering. Easily the best scene in the film and one whose approach it should've abided by.
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