A film that asks some tough questions about life and love
Adaline Bowman was a regular woman in the early 1900s with a husband, a child and a comfortable rich lifestyle. She lived in San Francisco and had a life that most people only dreamed of, but her life changed drastically one night. It snowed for the first time ever, and it caused Adaline’s car to drive off the rode and end up in the water. She is in the car about to drown when her car gets struck by lightning and brings her back to life. For some unknown reason, from this day forth she does not age. Her life changes afterwards, with her not sure how to life in a world where everyone lives and dies, but not her.
She has found it is too painful to stay herself, so she changes her name and appearance every few decades to keep her secret away from everyone around her, and the only person who really knows the truth is her daughter. You would think being immortal would be a gift, but not for Adaline. It slowly becomes a nightmare, with many fears attached to it. She is afraid to keep friends, remain at the same job and even is afraid of falling in love. She would rather run away than take a chance and live her life. Why does she not age? Why did such an extraordinary event happen to her? And will she ever get the courage to take chances and have fun in her seemingly bleak existence?
Blake Lively is wonderful in the role of Adaline. This is a different role for her, and yet she performs it perfectly. Her character has a lot of different elements besides just no aging and trying to keep this a secret from everybody. She wants to live a normal life, but has no idea how. She also wants to love, but believes that it is a luxury that she no longer deserves. She goes through much of this film full of fear and angst, and not sure how to handle the gift she has been given. It seems like a lonely life, and changed my views on how great immortality could be. What would you do if you knew you could life forever and never age? And would it even be something you would know how to handle?
The film seems to be a simple love story, but there is so much more to it than that. Adaline is a woman who has loved before and would be glad to love again, but it is not a simple thing for a woman like her. The film delves much into her past, and how her life has been in many pivotal moments. It jumps often from time period to time period, but in a way that makes sense and never gets confusing or tedious. It actually makes it a better film and adds much flavor to a plot that easily could have ended up tangled or boring. The cast does a great job of helping this film move along and bringing some exciting twists and turns. The soundtrack also is great, with songs that fit into each scene and special effects that bring the fantasy moments into a realm that seem believable.
For these reasons this film gets a 7/10. It is a good film, and has a lot of great things going for it. It will not be a film for everyone, but it is one that many different age groups and demographics can enjoy.
If you are looking for a good romantic movie to see with a date, this may be a film you want to check out. If you want to see a good fantasy film that asks some good questions about life and the choices we make, this is the film for you. It has some adult situations so kids should not see it, but teens will like it as long as they see it with an adult. Give this movie a chance, it may surprise you.
Watch the trailer below: