Lorna's Silence & Adam

A few (very few)words on the two films I saw today. First was the terrific new film by the talented Dardenne brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre. The story takes place in Belgium (of course) and involves a young Albanian woman Lorna (Arta Dubrushi). Lorna is married to a junkie named Claudy (Jeremie Renier). She married him to get into the country. Lorna is involved in a ring that gets people into the country and finds ways for them to stay. She is about to become a Belgian citizen and that makes her all the more valuable.

I will not tell you more of the story line but I can say that the film is quite suspenseful. Both Dubrushi and Renier are wonderful in their roles and the rest of the cast is spot on. I have been a fan of the Dardenne Brothers for quite some time and I am glad that I can see their films here. I hope other people will come out to see this little gem of a film.

Adam is a bittersweet love story. Adam (Hugh Dancy) has Aspergers Syndrome. He is a very high functioning. He has no friends except for Harlan (Freddie Faison) who was a friend of Adam's late father. One day he meets his new neighbor Beth (Rose Byrne) and slowly but surely they get to know one another and fall in love. However, Adam's way of loving is not the same way as most people's. It is not easy to have a relationship with a person with AS.

Adam is a nice little film and Dancy is very convincing in the title role. Byrne also turns in a good performance as does Faison. Peter Gallagher and Amy Irving play Beth's parents. The film was written and directed by Max Mayer and is good way to pass time on a hot summer afternoon.