Saturday, June 06, 2015

Age of Adaline



Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 5th June, 2015
Time : 112 minutes
Director : Lee Toland Krieger; Writer : J. Mills Goodloe, Salvador Paskowitz; Music : Rob Simonsen
Starring : Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew




Age of Adaline makes you want to fall in love again. It reminds you, with all its bitter-sweetness, the heady rush of conflicting emotions that course through you when experiencing those intense moments – the pounding heart screaming yes, the logical brain yelling no – the looks, the tenderness, the chaos and the way everything around you seems more beautiful.




Blake Lively, in the title role, stopped ageing after a freak accident. And once you get over the obvious advantages of such a ‘gift’, you realize the inherent negatives – watching those you love age around you, the incredulous looks of friends, the suspicious looks of the authorities. And reaches the same conclusion as the central character in the little known film The Man From Earth. She realizes she has to live the life of a nomad, with no roots, away from her daughter (Ellen Burstyn)…almost a fugitive… until she meets Michiel Huisman…and his parents, Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker…





What was extraordinary about Blake’s performance in the film was her demeanour. Its one thing to look youthful, gorgeous but quite another to be all that and behave old, mature, wise beyond her…(well, not in this case). Whether its her all-knowing eyes (having seen it all), her confident posture (Without being assertive) or her measured dialogue delivery (wiser, without being condescending) – she was exceptional and lit up the film, made us believe its improbable premise.





It’s funny the thoughts such a film can provoke. The realization, like that of King Midas, about how a simple gift can have unexpected consequences. The wisdom that can come from years of living (as demonstrated by a game of Trivial Pursuit in the film). The choice of anonymity and its accompanying practicalities – in terms of choice of profession, the banking modalities, the homes chosen. And above all, the loneliness…the wistfulness… and the memories of heart-aches that don’t fade...

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stolen kiss...

Anonymous said...

You are a pioneer who pushes limits, not for personal bravado but in order to explore the outer reaches of performance art...

Anonymous said...

You have a way with words...how well you've described the first paragraph..

Anonymous said...

It's about a way of life that is passing us by.. Memories of heart ache don't fade..

Anonymous said...

Wistful and wishful, just one letter and that makes such a lot of difference..

Anonymous said...

Nothing beats the subtle romance of a stolen glance, a stolen kiss, a warm hug or a silent conversation in a relationship.. Buoyant moments.. Dreary pleasures.. Unexpected chords of feelings are stirred.. What a gift life is..

Anonymous said...

At times, dreams wilt before they bud...

Anonymous said...

Yet love can move s person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles...

Anonymous said...

Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism...

Anonymous said...

You know, sometimes it seems to me as if Fate were going out of its way to such an extent to snooter you that you wonder if it's worth while continuing to struggle...

Anonymous said...

Passion and performance - the perfect combination

Anonymous said...

Too much of a good thing is Never enough !

Anonymous said...

I believe in music... I believe in love...

Anonymous said...

Listening to Summer Wine....

Anonymous said...

Solace is when she confides all her thoughts in her paramour..

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't call myself a fool for the wish..

Anonymous said...

Me thinks... Half the fun of making love is talking about it..

Anonymous said...

When was the last time I went to a good restaurant to have dinner ?

Anonymous said...

One of the disadvantages of sipping wine alone is that it makes a woman mistake words for thoughts...

Anonymous said...

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you..

Anonymous said...

A woman's sexually repressed emotions...

Anonymous said...

The most fleeting thought is timeless, a single hair's enough to stir the sea...

Anonymous said...

A new libido drug for women... The drug, flibanserin, has been called the "Pink Viagra" - To treat a flagging or absent libido for premenopausal women... Sexual needs of women are no longer being ignored...

Anonymous said...

He stands out like Megan Fox would on a busy Indian street... ;)

Anonymous said...

Love Longing Loneliness

Anonymous said...

The anticipation of what is to come only heightens her pleasure...

Anonymous said...

Starry eyed romantic..heavenly and beyond expectations....Travelling solo...

Anonymous said...

The way I have been and shall be...

Anonymous said...

To improve is to change..

Anonymous said...

True Love : If you love someone for their qualities, then when the quality changes or you get used to the quality, love also changes. However, if you love someone out of Kinship, then that love remains for lifetimes - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar...