Introduction
Adore is a film released in 2013. It was renamed in Australia as Adoration and had an alternative title, Two Mothers, in its early version. Adore is a film that aims to provoke a reaction to viewers. Anne Fontaine, who is adapting Doris Lessing’s novella, is known for being a French director. Adore is Anne Fontaine’s first film in the English language. The film chronicles a story full of friendship, taboo, morality, desire, and the tensions that arise between the two.
Synopsis
Lil and Roz, Leventy-longfriends are played by Naomi Watts and Robin Wright respectively. They live along the Australian coast with their two best friends, children, Ian, and Tom. The plot thickens as Roz’s husband unexpectely departs for a job and Lil’s husband passes away. Both characters are suppressed emotionally, resulting in Ian kissing Roz, igniting a clandestine affair. In response, Tom, who is emotionally hurt, begins his affair with Lil.
The mothers and sons involved in these relationships reluctantly and briefly agree to stop the overlaps, but desire is stronger and all four pairs quietly continue. Years later, the sons marry ladies their age and begin having daughters. From this point on, the illusion of normalcy is thrown out the window. It shatters entirely when Tom’s affair with Lil is revealed at a family gathering and, in turn, the daughters-in-law cut ties with the older women. The aftermath is a major emotional shift that, while seemingly escalating everything, will actually end up only appearing to do so. The four central figures, in a suggestive final scene, float on a dock at dawn which leads the audience to speculate whether the end is hinting towards the ability to reconcile, the ability to transcend ambiguously, and entwined a little too deeply, towards their desires.
Cast & Crew
The film is anchored by luminous performances from:
Naomi Watts as Lil Weston
Robin Wright as Roz
Xavier Samuel as Ian
James Frecheville as Tom
Ben Mendelsohn as Harold (Roz’s husband)
Anne Fontaine is the director while Christopher Hampton adapts Lessing’s novel for the screenplay. The evocative score is by Christopher Gordon and the cinematography is by Christophe Beaucarne, capturing the sun-drenched beaches that serve as playgrounds of transgressive desire.
Themes and Tone
Adore dives into the complex blend of friendship, romantic desire, age gaps, and social conventions. It emotionally showcases an acute version of codependency and the relational dynamics of its main characters, where motherly and erotic instincts emotionally battle. Though the characters are caught up in moral ambiguity, the beauty of the Australian landscape serves as a stark juxtaposition and sharp contrast.
Adore purposefully places two middle-aged women into relationships with their best friend’s teenage sons, as a means to challenge and provoke the viewers. It poses the question, does love really justify crossing boundaries? Can society’s taboos ever be fully ignored? As the plot moves forward, the film becomes a type of melodrama, intentionally escalating discomfort in exchange for a captivating, even if disturbing, emotional honesty.
Critical Reception
Adore received mostly negative reviews, and critics were not shy in expressing their opinions. Rotton Tomatoes showcases a rated Tomatometer where the majority of critics disliked the film as highlighted by the low score. The main consensus in reviews explains that though Naomi Watts and Robin Wright put genuine effort into their performances, the film’s outlandish and sensational plot made it difficult to fully embrace even with the skilled ‘suspend disbelief’ acting.
Film critics on Metacritic rated the movie in the “generally unfavorable” category. Some reviewers felt the movie’s tension melted into melodramatic flair and compared it to a soap opera. Others felt the movie stylized the story’s deeply-rooted issues instead of confronting them, even though the cinematography and acting was on point.
Nevertheless, some defenders justified the film. Some critics appreciated the risks it took, as well as the willingness of both Watts and Wright to fully inhabit roles they played. For some, Adore was an experiment in emotional honesty—raw, yes, but a refusal to offer idealized versions of human desire.
The movie still sparked controversy. Some believed the movie prioritized its beach images and the sensual encounters over thorough moral examination: “decadent” and “implausible” were some adjectives used in more critical reviews, arguing that there was a gap between the film’s stunning visuals and the cinematographic’s credibility.
Awards & Legacy
Despite being a financial disappointment, Adore received recognition in Australia’s film circles. For instance, Adore received a nomination for Best Actress at the AACTA Awards, which Naomi Watts won. Furthermore, she received acclaim for her performance in Adore as she was awarded Best Actress from the Film Critics Circle of Australia in 2013.
Adore remains a controversial film in the modern cinema. While a select few regard it as a bold attempt at depicting unconventional relationships, many disagree and interpret it as a poor attempt at a melodrama, mistaking shock for substance. Regardless, a small cult following remains for the film, mostly made up of people who admire the film for tackling social and culture taboos.
Conclusion
The film *Adore * can be described as emotionally intense and beautifully filmed. Blending stunning cinematography with disciplined performances provides a mixture that, while controversial, undeniably succeeds in placing discomfort at the core of the viewer’s experience. The film, while not meant for the faint-hearted, provides the brave with an engaging and unwavering experience that the viewer can never forget.
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