El secreto de Adaline

I am not fond of fantasies--which seem to be all the rage in film these days, but this one is different, because aside from the eternal-life premise, the rest is very believable. Two romances are intertwined artistically and the acting is very good.

An acquaintance had the same reaction I did--where is Harrison Ford? And when he appears, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I was also pleasantly surprised that there was little or no profanity or gratuitous nudity and sex, proving that good movies can be made without those inclusions that so many producers these days seem to feel is necessary, and add nothing to the story, and actually turn some of us off. Maybe they are finally getting the message.

While the premise is "out-of-this-world," the love stories are down-to-earth, and something all of us (hopefully) can relate to.

This movie touched me personally at a number of levels, because I lived in San Francisco, "the one that got away" looked a lot like B.L. and my (very happy) marriage is like the one H.F. portrays. I found B.L. hauntingly beautiful, and this story a tapestry of feelings unfolding; especially her surrender versus flight. Her encounter with H.F. from out of her past is powerful for both characters. And I thought the resolution of her immortality was quite a pleasant surprise that made me smile after being teary-eyed most of the movie. The last few minutes of the movie are especially beautiful if you are a romantic like me. This is a sweet movie that you will really enjoy.

Lee Toland Kriger's The Age of Adaline is a superb romantic thanks to its lead duo. Blake Lively is Adaline, the fair immortal who hasn't aged for several decades due to a severe car crash. She goes from relationship to relationship, from town to town, never settling down. A risky chance comes in the form of Ellis (Huisman), a stylish man whose intellect almost matches Adaline's own. Their encounters are warm, humorous and touching. Great support comes from Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker as Ellis' parents. Nudges of surrealism make TAoA vary from the usual romantic stories. Its voice-over, telling Adaline's 'miraculous' tale, is its only downfall. The unknown storyteller attempts to justify Adaline's conditions, but it comes across as a magnificent coincidence instead.

Already drawn to the premise of this film, I had high expectations of it, and was particularly interested in seeing Blake Lively in the lead role as a 107 year old eternally young woman. From only seeing her work in Gossip Girl, which was adequate but not particularly memorable, I was keen to see what her acting range was like. Not only did Lively impress me, but the film did also, surpassing my expectations.

The Age of Adaline is not only visually beautiful, (props to cinematographer David Lanzenberg) but the story is also. Yes, this is a romance film, but the evocative story raises questions from the viewer about life, death, and love. Michiel Huisman is great in his role as a sensitive romantic who yearns to be close to and understand Adaline - well done to the writers for creating a male romantic lead who isn't unrealistically perfect and cliché. Harrison Ford impressed me greatly, especially in his scenes with Lively, so much so that I was brought to tears through a mere look. Ellen Burstyn as Flemming provided a charming voice of reason for the protagonist. The score was also wonderfully done, making the emotional scenes all the more powerful, and the costume designer did very well in allowing the audience to fill in the time blanks without knowing the era through the narrated dates.

Overall, a beautifully crafted film with a wonderful story and powerful performances that will completely captivate the viewers.

The acting in this I cannot fault, though Adeline has a very low range of emotions given the material, her demure persona is a sign of the times in which she was raised. Perhaps it was the stiff upper lip if the early 20th century? I have never seen the male lead and he suited his part well.

I watched this with my mother and daughters ( sobbing continued on both sides with both generations for different reasons, but both centred around loss). I felt torn, suitably watching this with both generations, as to what part of the film affected me most. Those with children and aging parents will understand when viewing this.

The soundtrack was beautiful and the song played during the most emotive scenes is both beautiful and haunting enough for me to seek it out.

A beautiful movie, which is a little in the fantasy realm in its explanation behind the mortality/immortality aspect which makes it almost fairy tale like, but beautifully executed, and gorgeously told. See it with your mother or daughter, or like I did, both! Take your tissues!