Adam (2009)

After my trip to Damages, I became interested in actress, Rose Byrne, who is so compelling in that drama. I found this indie film (made after the television series) about Adam (Hugh Dancy), a man with aspergers as he meets up with New York City apartment neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne). She is teaches kids and writes children's books. He is an electrical engineer with a job arranged by his over-protective father. Brilliant in many ways, Adam is a good-looking young man with a passion for astronomy and nature, but he manages in life by staying close to a rigid lifestyle. Rose helps to have a bit more fun in life and teaches him how to do better in his life, such as improve his diet. "You can't eat macaroni and cheese every night--it lacks stimulation."

Adam was adapting to life after his father died, on his own for the first time. He seems to have one friend, an older man named Harlan who talks with him and gives him some pointers on how to live in the world, but the loss of his father leaves him adrift. Rose growns quite fond of Adam's uniqueness. Harlan encourages him to make an effort to be with her. Early on, he calls her outside late at night to show her racoons living in Central Park. They began to share a quirky world together and love blossoms. She helps him to thrive despite his condition and seems enjoy the caretaking role.

Rose's parents, Marty (handsome Peter Gallagher) and Rebecca (sweet Amy Irving) Buckman are perplexed about their promising and lovely only child's choice of boyfriend. He is fired from his job for poor performance and learns that his father had been the one to arrange it in the first place, something that was kept a secret from him. This sends him on a downward spiral. Although Rose's parents are intially tolerant of the relationship, they intervene when Adam has a meltdown in front of their home that scares them all. Dad tells Rose "He's not for you."

Adam suffers without Rose and this inspires him to rise to the occasion...find a way to gain her attention. He lands a high-tech job in Silicon Valley and invites Rose to move out there with him. She is still in love with him and considers this. Dad warns her that she will always have to look after him. Meanwhile, Beth's Dad has been charged with a white collar crime that sends him to prison for two years. He bargains with Beth to return home with the mother, assuring her that they have been well-provided for financially. Mom is more sensitive to the dilemma of the heart and tells her "Feeling loved is very important, but loving is the necessity."

Beth struggles to make a decision and asks Adam straight out why he wants her to go with him. His answer is revealing. "You are like a part of me--I could not go without you--I need you to help me get to work and understand the people around me." He finally did say he loved her, but she knew this was not the future she wanted for herself. Adam takes a leap and goes anyway. We see him months at his new job with new friends appearing to be happy. The experience with Rose launched him to this next level. He receives a package in the mail from her one year after his move, a children's book titled Adam, about a family of racoons living in Central Park. Of course, he is pleased and all is well. This is more like a movie on the Lifetime channel, but the cast is quite good. It's kind of a relief to see Rose out of the hardcore world of Damages.