Adoration

Adoration has built a devoted audience in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Naomi Watts anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Put it on tonight on Kanopy and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Adoration earns its spot. Adoration takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. Lil and Roz are two lifelong friends, having grown up together as neighbors in an idyllic beach town. As adults, their sons have developed a friendship as strong as that which binds their mothers. One summer, all four are confronted by simmering emotions that have been mounting between them, and each find unexpected happiness in relationships that cross the bounds of convention. The performances from Naomi Watts and Robin Wright give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. It was released in 2013. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Adoration. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Naomi Watts carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.