Review of Young Adam (2003) by Ld P — 07 Nov 2009

Young Adam(2004 The sight of the corpse inspires a queasy passion, triggering a further descent into sexual-psychological oblivion. Joe recalls through flashbacks his relationship with his former mistress Cathie Dimly.

He seduces Ella in a carnal attraction, having sex with her in the absence of Les. When the police arrest a suspect of the murder of woman, Joe becomes interested in the case, while his thoughts disclose the truth about the death of the victim.

The postwar atmosphere of old Clydeside is the setting for David Mackenzie's adaptation of Alexander Trocchi's cult existentialist novel, Young Adam. A crime drama young Adam is not a "Whodunnit?" but "What Really Happened?" The film has less broad-based appeal than something a "traditional" thriller, but, in many ways, it offers a more satisfying experience.

Given a NC 17 rating due to all the nudity and sex including Ewan McGregor?s member. The most arresting scene - indeed the most disturbing - draws in graphic detail the brutality of Joe's sexual relationship with ex-girlfriend Cathie.

It becomes apparent that, for Joe, sex is more an expression of anger than love. This is a regional cinema with a serious case of the blues and existential anxiety. Giles Nuttgens, the director of photography, has managed to draw out the picturesque qualities of this drab landscape, and even to warm its chilly air with some sensual heat.

The overall scheme of watery gray and worn-out brown occasionally gives way to lush greenery, and now and then something that looks like sunlight breaks through the perpetual overcast. The film's visual beauty is an aspect of its nostalgia and subtle existentialism.

Good movie 3 stars.