This latest offering from Canadian director, Atom Egoyan is a thought provoking suspense/drama about a myriad of subjects. It deals mostly with interracial relationships, terrorism, a clash of faith, bigotry and a secretive web of lies amidst a complex and intricate tale.
A simple project of translation for his French class turns into a complicated weave of lies as Simon (Devon Bostick) deceits his fellow students into believing that the couple in the article were his parents. Sabine (Arsinee Khanjian), his French/drama teacher even encourages Simon to continue the deceit as she had ulterior motives in her plan. Through the powerful reach of the Internet, the story goes viral and turns into a cause celebre. Clearly indicating that anything projected through the Web can be manipulated, twisted and things can turn ugly if not properly monitored.
Although the film unfolds through a series of flashbacks, narratives of truths and make believe scenarios, its cast remain focus in their roles. Mostly unknown actors except for Scott Speedman (Felicity) the acting is quite convincing and you are simply drawn and totally invested in the characters' flight.
The complex plot moves at a slow and very steady pace but you find yourself totally transfixed till the very end. It is a fascinating story which keeps your mind active as you feel like asking questions out loud at the screen. Yet as snippets of the truth are revealed, the hidden meaning behind the symbolism of certain objects suddenly becomes a lot clearer. Towards the end, there is a sense of liberation for the audience as well as for the main protagonist, Simon.
I've read about Atom Egoyan's penchant for integrating ethnic cultural inheritance in his body of work. But this is the first film by the Canadian director of Armenian descent that I've seen so I cannot really make a valid comparison. But I'm very interested in movies which explore cultural ethnicity, beliefs and faith so I enjoyed "Adoration", a lot!
A simple project of translation for his French class turns into a complicated weave of lies as Simon (Devon Bostick) deceits his fellow students into believing that the couple in the article were his parents. Sabine (Arsinee Khanjian), his French/drama teacher even encourages Simon to continue the deceit as she had ulterior motives in her plan. Through the powerful reach of the Internet, the story goes viral and turns into a cause celebre. Clearly indicating that anything projected through the Web can be manipulated, twisted and things can turn ugly if not properly monitored.
Although the film unfolds through a series of flashbacks, narratives of truths and make believe scenarios, its cast remain focus in their roles. Mostly unknown actors except for Scott Speedman (Felicity) the acting is quite convincing and you are simply drawn and totally invested in the characters' flight.
The complex plot moves at a slow and very steady pace but you find yourself totally transfixed till the very end. It is a fascinating story which keeps your mind active as you feel like asking questions out loud at the screen. Yet as snippets of the truth are revealed, the hidden meaning behind the symbolism of certain objects suddenly becomes a lot clearer. Towards the end, there is a sense of liberation for the audience as well as for the main protagonist, Simon.
I've read about Atom Egoyan's penchant for integrating ethnic cultural inheritance in his body of work. But this is the first film by the Canadian director of Armenian descent that I've seen so I cannot really make a valid comparison. But I'm very interested in movies which explore cultural ethnicity, beliefs and faith so I enjoyed "Adoration", a lot!
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