Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Adoration Blu-ray Movie Review

Atom Egoyan's captivating Drama makes for a fine Blu-ray from Sony.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 3, 2009

That's the thing about anger. It sucks up a lot of intelligence.

Adoration is a film about time, about understanding the present in the context of the past, but also understanding the past in the context of the present. It's a film about emotions, beliefs, truths, and falsehoods, of understanding, compassion, love, hate, prejudice, and remorse. Adoration is a great many things, not the least of which is a film that challenges its audience to look within themselves and question their own long-established principles and values. Through it all is a beautiful film in both style and substance. Rarely is a film so captivating as this. Its tale is a simple one, when all is revealed; nevertheless, its ability to conceal and reveal its secrets at just the right time and in just the right context mesmerizes its audience through not only the quality of the story but the craftsmanship that sets it in pitch-perfect motion.

A time of reflection.

High school student Simon (Devon Bostick) translates a story of terrorism for French class with a disturbing first-person twist. Placing himself in the story as the unborn son of a would-be airline bomber, Simon catches the attention of his teacher, Sabine (Arsinée Khanjian). He is tasked with re-working his tale for dramatic effect and for presentation in front of the entire class. He's so successful at the task that his presentation sparks a debate that, thanks to the power of the Internet, reaches far and wide, involving college professors, his classmates, and even passengers that flew on that targeted flight years ago. As Simon confronts those that see in his father and his tale drastically different messages, his teacher finds herself in hot water for the firestorm her project has created. Meanwhile, Simon and his guardian, an uncle by the name of Thomas (Scott Speedman), are struggling to get by. Thomas finds himself confronted with his past as the story unfolds, dealing with long-held prejudices as he comes to learn of personal interconnections that promise to challenge everything he thought he knew about his life.

Canadian Director Atom Egoyan, whose previous credits include The Sweet Hereafter for which he earned an Oscar Nomination for Best Director, serves as Adoration's writer and director, a film for which he is most deserving of another Oscar nod for his phenomenal work behind the camera. Egoyan again proves himself a master of his craft; he's a fabulous visual storyteller, and Adoration captures the imagination from the beginning by slowly building upon its story not sequentially but rather by filling in missing gaps that, as the story evolves, changes its very essence, meaning, purpose, and direction. He weaves a simple tale with an intricacy that lends weight to the material and purpose for the film. Egoyan doesn't manipulate either the story or the audience, though through his construction of the film he does alter perceptions and challenge his viewers to critically analyze both the film and their own essence as the tale unfolds. Egoyan manages to mesh complexity and simplicity superbly; Adoration handles difficult material with a remarkable delicacy that only serves to dare its viewers to see the world and its peoples from a different perspective.

As its title suggests, Adoration is a story about deply-rooted love, but for each character, "love" means something different. In context, the film sometimes equates "love" with "belief." Every character enters the film with a set, long-established, and deeply-ingrained system of beliefs that positively shape their outlooks on life and the world at large. Adoration's many twists and turns allow the characters to reexamine their core principles in a new light and a new understanding, and at the same time the film questions whether those that hold to a stringent belief system that goes unchallenged can truly be blamed for their actions. The film doesn't condone hurtful actions but rather asks from where the actions originated and for what purpose the action served to the individual responsible for them. It's a fascinating study of the human condition, and it attempts to understand not only systems of belief but also the truths behind those beliefs. For some, the film posits, beliefs and truths are one and the same; for others, beliefs are sets of learned principles that may or may not be rooted in truth, and may or may not hold for the individual under the scrutiny of the microscope. Adoration is a film of misdirection, and by extension, it continually alters its truths and what the audience believes to be true not only about the story but about themselves; Atom Egoyan slowly unravels the tale in such a way so as to change the story's very essence along the way, and many of its characters undergo emotional turmoil in their journey to piece together a past that has suddenly become a flashpoint for understanding the present.

Adoration's superbly-developed script and pinpoint direction carry much of the load and play an integral part in the film's success, but ensuring absolute maximum impact demands a cast that understands the material and the characters they portray. Adoration features a first-rate cast that immerses itself into the story, each and every primary delivering a believable performance that completes an amazing cinematic journey. The film has no one single "main character;" there are three primary players, though each is so integral to the story that none are more or less important than another. Scott Speedman's performance, however, does stand out from the rest. Best known for his role in the Underworld pictures, he plays a man in Adoration that is perhaps the film's most complex. Struggling to raise his nephew, Speedman's character Thomas becomes the centerpiece of the film's story as something of a link between the past and the present, guiding characters' understanding and beliefs as he himself reexamines his own life experiences that have placed him in his current position. Of the film's additional two primary characters, both Devon Bostick as Thomas' nephew Simon and Arsinée Khanjian -- Director Atom Egoyan's wife -- as Simon's French teacher are both superb in their roles.

Adoration Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Adoration arrives on Blu-ray with a high quality 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. This is another solid visual release from Sony. The image retains a layer of grain that is present in every scene, and detail remains appreciably high thanks to the absence of heavy digital manipulation of the film's natural state. Though the image appears as slightly depressed -- colors never appear all that vibrant and certainly never jump off the screen -- it retains a quality film-like appearance that seems true to the source and serves as a nice example of what Blu-ray is capable of. Fine detail appears as fairly natural throughout; whether stitches in clothing, the individual needles on a Christmas tree, or the textures of paved roads, Adoration's Blu-ray transfer showcases all the film has to offer. As alluded to above, colors appear neutral and slightly dim, but again, seem faithful to the source. Black levels and skin tones present no immediate problems. Adoration isn't the stuff eye candy is made of, but Sony has once again delivered a faithful transfer that should more than satisfy lovers of film.

Adoration Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Adoration features a soundtrack that's representative of a basic Drama. This DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless offering does little to excite the senses, but it does faithfully reproduce the film's somewhat limited soundtrack nicely. The violin plays an important part in the film, and every draw of bow on strings creates a splendid, clear, and lifelike note, both low and high, that virtually places the audience in front of a live performance. The track delivers a few nuanced atmospherics throughout; an announcement over loudspeakers at an airport flows into the soundstage in such a way so as to make the listener believe they are standing in the presence of the sound and not hearing it from a detached location, such as a living room. Generally, however, this is a center-focused, dialogue-heavy soundtrack. A few effects manage to move directionally from the center, and there's one moment that offers a more aggressive and bass-heavy sensation. Otherwise, dialogue reproduction is sharp, clear, and focused up the middle. Adoration won't threaten to shatter a window or blow out a speaker, but it admirably accomplishes all it sets out to do.

Adoration Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Adoration arrives on Blu-ray with several bonus materials. The lack of an Atom Egoyan commentary track is most disappointing, but several interview pieces with the director scattered throughout the bonus materials do well to stand in place of a commentary. The Making of 'Adoration' (480p, 12:00) does feature Egoyan speaking on the film's themes and inspirations. Other cast members appear to share their take on the story, and the piece is intercut with scenes from the film. Interview With Atom Egoyan (480p, 22:54) features the director -- in the same setting as seen in the previous piece -- further expanding on his thoughts revolving around the film and its themes. The Violin Shop (480p, 9:42) takes viewers onto the set for a look into the filming of a scene. The Fabulous Picture Show (1080p, 13:50) features the director in a question and answer session after a screening of the film. Take Three (480p, 20:26) features several characters debating the issues raised in the film. Passengers (480p, 19:30) again features characters that appear on various Internet streams in the film debating the issues. Next up is a collection of six deleted scenes presented in 480p standard definition. Also included is BD-Live functionality and 1080p trailers for Adoration, Moon, The Damned United, The Class, and It Might Get Loud.

Adoration Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thought-provoking, timely, and altogether fascinating; wonderfully crafted, slowly but masterfully paced, and astoundingly acted; Adoration is a rare film that does everything right, a Drama that challenges its audience to reflect not only on the story but their own lives, to see the world from a different perspective, to perhaps see it for what it is rather than what each individual believes it ought to be. Writer/Director Atom Egoyan's Adoration is a triumph of filmmaking and quite possibly his best work to date, a must-see picture for both its stimulating story and superb craftsmanship. Sony's Blu-ray release does the film justice. Featuring a faithful and altogether film-like 1080p transfer, a steady lossless soundtrack, and a few good extras, Adoration comes very highly recommended.