Adam

Romance meets Psych 101 in nuanced, unconventional drama

With one out of every 150 children currently displaying behavior that falls on the Autism Spectrum, the condition has become a sensational item in both headlines and living rooms the world over. Director/writer Max Mayer takes a nuanced look at the interpersonal ramifications of the disorder in Adam, an unconventional rom-dram full of good intentions and passionate actors focused on a largely misunderstood issue. The plot follows Beth, a maternal socialite who embarks on an Asperger’s Syndrome crash course when she finds herself in a gauntlet relationship with the affected title character, played by Hugh Dancy. While the gee-shucks courtship scenes bore, Mayer illustrates an effective portrait of the mind blindness and social cliffs faced by a population that struggles to empathize with others. By story’s bittersweet end, this PSA/date flick hybrid educates as much on the human necessity of compromise as the relevance of understanding one of today’s prominent developmental disabilities.