Entertainment

<< Previous   of   Next >> Sophie Giraud  (click to enlarge) Simon (Devon Bostick) examines his mother's violin on the bus.   ADVERTISEMENT   "Adoration" A high-schooler reads a controversial story to his class, an act that raises a number of issues about truth and terrorism. Atom Egoyan's film has ideas, although they tend to get lost in the static atmosphere. Scott Speedman stars. Rated: R for language, subject matter Showing: Varsity   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, June 26, 2009 'Adoration' tries, but story is just too static By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic Canadian director Atom Egoyan is fond of pondering situations from multiple perspectives, and when he's in the groove ("The Sweet Hereafter," for instance), this method can be a way of opening up the world in a bigger way. With his new film "Adoration," Egoyan's approach misfires, I think. An interesting central situation dissipates in the fragmented storytelling. That central situation involves a Toronto high-school kid named Simon (Devon Bostick), who reads a speech to his classroom one day. A narrative of Simon's (now dead) parents, the tale involves terrorism. When the story gets out on the Internet, both Simon and his teacher (Arsinee Khanjian), who strongly encouraged him to share the story, come under scrutiny. There are some (rather mild) surprises in the aftermath of this, but the most important thing is that Simon's tale raises the hackles of friends and strangers alike. It also upsets Simon's uncle Tom (Scott Speedman), who's been raising Simon since the death of the parents. Most of this information comes to us in bits and pieces, and we can't be quite sure who's telling the truth. The film keeps returning, for instance, to Simon interviewing his hospital-bound grandfather. The elder man bears a grudge against Simon's father, who was Lebanese, blaming him for a family catastrophe. Egoyan sets up a series of issues that need to be addressed, and a set of prejudices that need to be dealt with. Unfortunately, these mostly resolve just about exactly the way you'd expect them to, based on the first 20 minutes of the film. Since the beginning of his career, Egoyan has taken an interest in the way the new media fractures reality and sometimes muddies the truth. In this film, those devices include cell phones, cameras and Internet chat rooms abuzz with opinions. None of this is quite enough to energize the static atmosphere "Adoration" creates. At times it's as though this movie is suffering from depression. The film's best performance comes from Scott Speedman ("Underworld"), who always seems like a determined actor trapped in a leading man's body. He breathes physical life into the somewhat airless spaces of Egoyan's world. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Man arrested in fatal shooting of brother 2. Highway 9 crash victims memorialized 3. Taxes needed to close state's growing deficit? 4. Confrontation led to elderly man's death, police say 5. Fire sends shoppers fleeing JC Penney at Alderwood 6. Snohomish salon owner has a venture with style 7. Pearl Harbor's voices of the past 8. Vikings’ Henderson breaks leg against Cardinals 9. Boeing shares soar as 787 first flight draws near 10. New law aims to deny some felons bail 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Wildcats fall to familar foe in semis • ‘Nutcracker' times three • Road warrior • Mavericks reloading • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Cities prepare for winter blast repeat • Wolfpack duo takes last shot at state tourney • This Weekend in Your Town • Tips for the stormy season • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million