The Age of Adaline (2015)

After a freak accident and possible supernatural (not ghosts or paranormal stuff, just a little out-there) event, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) stops aging. She is thereafter 'frozen' at the age of twenty-eight (I think), despite the fact that everyone else (naturally) is getting older.

This of course makes her very different, and eventually, the possible subject of scrutiny and potential scientific experiments, such that she has to go on the run, changing her identity and appearance once every ten years.

The most obvious display of this phenomenon is the continued aging of Adaline's daughter (played immaculately by Ellen Burstyn). The relationship between mother and daughter is still played with a great deal of truth, and it is sometimes possible to forget that Adaline looks so much younger than her own daughter.

Things become tricky for Adaline (who at this point is going by the alias Jennifer) when - in a chance encounter - she meets Ellis Jones (Dutch actor Michiel Huisman). Over time, she finds that she is falling in love with him, but feels that she is unable to have a relationship with him because of her 'condition'; it's like she would be cheating him out of a long-term relationship.

Again, as with all reviews that I do, I don't want to go into much more detail than that, for fear of spoiling things for others who might be interested. But there are a couple more things I would like to mention.

Harrison Ford (playing Ellis' father) gives is what I believe to be the best performance of his career since Regarding Henry. In fact, as the credits were rolling at the end of the film, I overheard a young woman behind me say to her friend, "Oh my God, that was Harrison Ford? I totally didn't recognise him!" Equally moving performances from Kathy Baker (as Ellis' mother) and Amanda Crew (as his sister) make this - in my opinion - one of the standout films of the year.

I found myself experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions during this film, from laughter to sadness, and everything in between. Every single one of the actors in this film give their all to their roles, and it really shows. Blake Lively (perhaps best known for the television series Gossip Girl) is sublime in the title role, and Ellen Burstyn as her daughter shines as well.

There is nothing particularly spectacular about the cinematography or score or other elements of this film, but the masterful direction of Lee Toland Krieger (known for his beautiful and heartfelt character-driven pieces) and the superb acting by all involved more than make up for this.

If there was one thing I perhaps did not enjoy about this film, it was the voice-over narration (and not that of any of the characters in the film, just a random narrator). I tend to dislike voice-over when used in this way, though I can understand that without it, the narrative would at times have been hard to follow. And so, even with that minor detail, I think the voice-over needs to be there, as much as I found it jarring.


8 out of 10.