Sweetie and I saw a screening of the movie “Adam” earlier this week. Adam is a story about a young electronics engineer, Adam, played very well by Hugh Dancy, and his difficult romance with his new neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne). Adam, it turns out has a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome which makes relationships, especially romantic relationships, very difficult for him. The story of Adam is very interesting especially to Sweetie and I who are parents of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome.

The movie is more than a story about Asperger’s Syndrome though. I found Beth to be the far more interesting character. Beth inhabits a space between two men. Adam, who cannot tell a lie, and her father, Marty Buchwald (played very well by Peter Gallagher) who cannot tell anything but lies. The tension between the two extremes is what makes the movie interesting. Ms. Byrne does a great job.

Amy Irving plays an interesting role as Beth’s mother, Rebecca Buchwald. She regards her husband with very clear eyes, and loves him anyway.

The movie has a few awkward moments, like when they have to educate the audience about what Asperger’s Syndrome is, (it comes across like a political commercial, “Gee Bessie, I can’t believe that Senator Jones is going to take our guns away from us!”) but overall the movie is done very well and sensitively. The movie doesn’t go for the big Hollywood ending, but it does end on a high note.

I give this movie 3 stars out of 4. I could see it again.

For someone else’s take on the movie, check out That’s Baloney. She and her husband Doc were there with us watching the movie.