When Adam Changes (2023) Film Review
Growing up is such a major theme in Hollywood that even a subgenre was created to appeal to drama and comedy fans who sought stories about the difficult transition from childhood to being an adult. But that sounds too restrictive when the actual genre isn’t. Coming-of-age films are popular and sober films that often show a character going through… something. A harsh circumstance, the problems often associated with the teenage years, and a final realization that will usually uplift your heart as you learn through someone else’s adventure. However, as cinema evolved, filmmakers thought it was necessary to experiment a bit with these stories. A huge jump ahead, and we arrive at Joël Vaudreuil’s extremely different film, When Adam Changes.
When Adam Changes, also known as Adam Changes Slowly when translated from its French title, is an animated experimental film written and directed by Vaudreuil. He also does the music, editing, and probably a whole lot of other things. And with a film as original as this one, there’s probably no other way to do it.
It tells the story of Adam, a 15-year-old boy who’s going through the difficulties of being a teenager that no one understands. He’s constantly bullied by the monsters at school, and his family doesn’t really connect with him. He also has the most vile grandmother you’ll ever see in animated cinema. An old woman who doesn’t care one bit about the young man and constantly derides him. Adam is also unable to socially perform around others. He likes girls, but he stutters whenever it’s time to talk to them. It appears his only emotional connection is with his sister, but she also manages to be a shallow sibling who doesn’t care much for her brother.
All his insecurities and problems are expressed through something very special that happens to Adam’s body in some key moments. Whenever someone, be it his grandmother or bullies, says something about him and ridicules his body, his body morphs into that trait. If someone calls him fat, he grows. If someone makes fun of the shape of his torso, he contorts uncontrollably and stays like that. Vaudreuil’s film allows us to navigate through Adam’s summer vacation, where he’s subjected to activities he doesn’t remotely like but people believe are good for him. Is this the summer of Adam? Probably not.
The film is a passion project that finally saw its release in the festival circle in 2023. Experimental and analog animation were never as relevant as they are in When Adam Changes. This is a great execution of an idea that surely sounded good on paper, but it was risky when Vaudreil started drawing some sketches. Nevertheless, the film goes somewhere with its poignant depiction of Adam’s pure soul being corrupted by his drive to get out there. The fact that he morphs is a theme, but it’s not the main story here. This is a story about repression and a heartbreaking condition that only makes things worse for the victim, a teenager who dreams of being as tough as his favorite movie stars.
Vaudreil’s subtle use of disturbing imagery and sound effects is effective. It’s hard not to see how this world is a nightmare for Adam, just like it happens to all teenagers at some point. When Adam Changes isn’t exactly universal, but it manages to be much more honest and heartwarming than other coming-of-age Hollywood films that sugarcoat every problem to make them friendly. Newsflash: There’s nothing easy about growing up.
