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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Adoration Stars: Scott Speedman, Devon Bostwick, Rachel Blanchard, Kenneth Walsh, Arsinee Khanjian and Noam Jenkins Director/Scriptwriter: Atom Egoyan Composer: Mychel Danna Cinematography: Paul Sarasay Ego Film Arts/Telefilm Canada Rating: R for language Running Length: 100 minutes Somewhere in this film, is an easier way to tell this story. Director/writer Atom Egoyan is giving us a teenage boy who is being raised by his uncle (Scott Speedman) after the death of his parents (Rachel Blanchard and Noam Jenkins) in a car crash. The uncle stays away from the grandfather (Kenneth Walsh), though the boy doesn’t know why. Intertwined are flashbacks from the perspective of the deceased parents and viewpoints from the boy’s French teacher (Arsinee Khanjian). Elegant photography by Paul Sarasay and music by Mychel Danna add much to the film. One story follows the night of the auto crash and what really happened, while another follows a woman going through airport security in Israel when a bomb is discovered in her luggage, and yet another story is the friendship between the teenage boy and his French/drama teacher (Arsinee Khanjian). The class is reading about an incident where a woman at an Israeli airport was discovered to have a bomb in her luggage. The boy, who doesn’t really know about the death of his parents, envisions the airport woman as his mother. This is an imaginary story, but so catches the attention of the teacher and class, that she suggests he submit it for publication. He puts the story on the Internet and chat rooms become a Greek chorus of comments, both interesting and frightening. The electronic age, where one can have simultaneous conversations with six people and see all at the same time from the comfort of your home and computer. In the meantime, the uncle’s car towing business is close to financial ruin and he does the best he can. The grandfather is kindly to the grandson, but has definite political views. I can follow the above scenario OK, but it is the friendship between the boy and the French teacher that is puzzling and irritating. She answers questions with questions, is obviously hiding something and has actions that border on the downright strange. This off-the-wall character didn’t seem to fit within the confines of the rest of the story. One incident, in particular, looked like something from a horror film. Acting is well done, particularly Rachel Blanchard as the deceased Mom and Scott Speedman as the boy’s uncle. Dialogue is rather sparse, but it is OK here, particularly when Speedman hesitates before answering any question, as though afraid of making a mistake. We learn about differences in nationalities, how prejudice can poison relationships and that love can come at you when you least expect it. I just wish Egoyan hadn’t made it difficult. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner
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