FILM DOODLES

 “Age of Adaline" D: Lee Tolad Krieger S:  J. Mills Goodloe, Salwador Paskowitz, etc  C: David Lanzenberg C: Blake Lively, Michel Huisman, Harrison Ford, etc.

When you look at a description of a film which concentrates on Blake Lively in a perfect 50s hairdo called Adaline never ageing, you can already feel the treacle trickling down the screen. And the instincts are never completely wrong. Yes, there is a lot of dreamy dresses and kempt tresses, unrealistically exuberant family meetings and oodles of uncomplicated superficial love. The film never goes to the more interesting places of what Adaline thinks about the copious amounts of world she has seen in her lifetime but Blake Lively wears her obscurity well. Her reserved and muted acting results in marvellous old-school opacity and grace which diffuse the immediate need to know more.

There are moments where “Age of Adaline” becomes more than the light sum of its frothy parts. The ridiculous premise of a lady becoming immortal is explained in such ridiculous pseudo-scientific terms that you start suspecting a case of acute self-awareness. It is also read out by a voice sounding “too” serious, strangely reminiscent of the voice over from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Furthermore, the perfectly executed scenes between the young mother and old daughter point at a certain kind of courage to break the easy mould, even if it is a fleeting joy. Similarly, Harrison Ford does not disappoint and a few shots of Adaline through reflective car windows are reminiscent of the cinematography of "Carol". There are definitely moments to write home about and the surrounding seeming mediocrity makes them ever more special.

It’s not hard to exclude “Age of Adaline” before ever watching it. This certain model of the conventional whipped cream of an average romcom does have its unpredictable charms though. Blake Lively’s Adeline is enjoyably distant and there are glimpses of uncommon hues of meaning. A sumptuous dessert with strangely enjoyable after-taste.

Image references:

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