Though it takes place in 2006, Rhys Ernst‘s directorial debut feels like a throwback in more than just its setting. “Adam” is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and it’s reminiscent of the LGBTQ+ indie movies that were hallmarks of the fest in the ’90s and ’00s, like “High Art,” “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” What feels like a breakthrough here is that we have a transgender director casting trans actors to tell their stories, which still feels embarrassingly revolutionary in a decade that has produced “The Danish Girl,” “Dallas Buyers Club” and last year’s controversial “Girl.” This gentle comedy likely won’t achieve that level of chatter, but there’s value in its earnest and authentic take on the coming-of-age film.
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High schooler Adam (Nicholas Alexander) is eager to escape his parents and life in Piedmont, California, leaving for the summer to live with his older sister Casey (Margaret Qualley) in New York City with her roommates June (Chloe Levine) and Ethan (Leo Sheng). Casey hasn’t come out to her parents yet, but in New York, she spends her days and nights protesting for gay rights and partying with a crowd of lesbian women and transgender people. Adam is desperate to meet a girl, so when he meets and falls for Gillian (India Salvör Menuez), he can’t bring himself to correct her when she thinks he’s trans.
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A producer from”Transparent,” Ernst rights that show’s misstep in casting Jeffrey Tambor as Maura by casting a number of trans and queer actors, refusing Hollywood’s frequent approach of putting cis performers in parts written as transgender. The film as a whole is particularly well cast and impressively diverse, with Alexander capturing Adam’s awkwardness and affection. Qualley nicely embodies Casey, who pretends to have it all figured out as the older sister, but is still defining her own sexuality and her place in New York. Menuez was magnetic in “I Love Dick,” and she’s similarly compelling here, making it easier for the audience to almost understand why Adam keeps lying. Almost. “Adam” is probably kinder to its protagonist than it should be, but its affection for its characters as they’re trying to figure out who they are is one of the film’s strong points.
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Misunderstandings are a trademark of the rom-com, and they lie at the well-meaning heart of Ernst’s first film. There’s no malice in Adam’s intentions, but it’s still often frustrating to watch him fake and flail, with his teenage awkwardness further amplified by his attempts to pass as trans. Adapted by Ariel Schrag from her own novel, “Adam” smartly retains the 2006 setting, making Adam’s ignorance of trans life more believable than it’d be for a kid his age in 2019.
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There’s a charm in how “Adam” captures the particular place and time in New York queer culture, from watch parties for “The L Word” to shouting Ani DiFranco‘s “Shameless” at a karaoke bar. It’s specific to its moment, and it takes great care in recreating that era for that crowd. That realness is slightly undercut by setting a movie in notoriously hot and sticky New York in the summer and having your characters in jackets and sleeping in sleeping bags, but it’s not a fatal flaw.
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But for all that specificity and authenticity in its casting and setting, “Adam” lacks precision in its screenplay. Schrag’s script is missing the connective tissue that would make it – and its characters – come to life. Small moments appear to have been cut – or not included in the screenplay – that would make these people and their connections feel more genuine. Additionally, not all of its jokes land, and those that do, merit a polite chuckle rather than a guffaw.
“Adam” is a small movie, but it still feels like a big step forward for trans representation in film, which has lagged behind gay and lesbian progress made on screen in the last few decades. It’s as imperfect as its hero, but there’s still something to root for here. [B]
Check out all our coverage from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival here.
