malignant deathbed statement, the
pieces cohere into a vital mosaic of
human hurt and need.
The film also succeeds as a stir-
ring look at how nearly impossible
it is to uncover truth in, of all things,
an "information age."
Among the cast, Speedman stands
out as the overwhelmed uncle.
Khanjian, who has a face that
seems made for the art-house clo-
seup, goes intriguing places with her
problematic character.
TH E E X A M I N ER | A Z
25FR I DAY, M AY 15, 2009
Atom Egoyan addresses
intense themes in not
wholly fulfilling story
By Anita Katz
Special to The Examiner
Atom Egoyan probably never met
a story he didn't deem fit for the
jigsaw, and his films often play like
remixes of familiar themes on his
comedy-scarce palette -- among
them trauma, loss, abandonment,
international terror, devastating lies,
alienation in a technology-connected
world, and horrible accidents.
But he delivers so many inter-
esting ideas and presents them so
uniquely that even when off target,
he's a reason to go to the movies.
"Adoration,"theCanadian-Arme-
nian writer-director's latest journey
throughtheaftershocks,affirmsthat
distinction.
Echoing Egoyan's acclaimed
"The Sweet Hereafter" and under-
rated "Ararat" with its combination
of private and global horror, the
Toronto-set drama centers on a
car crash that killed violinist Rachel
(Rachel Blanchard) and violin maker
Sami (Noam Jenkins) years ago.
The two had a son, Simon (Devon
Bostick), who now is a teen and lives
with his uncle (Scott Speedman).
Having grown up around a
venomously bigoted grandfather
(Kenneth Welsh), who constantly
slurred the Middle Eastern Sami,
Simon wonders if his father inten-
tionally caused the "accident."
This fear takes center stage when
French-language teacher Sabine
(Arsin�e Khanjian) assigns students
to translate a news story about a
Jordanian who unsuccessfully tried
to blow up an Israel-bound plane by
placing a bomb in the carry-on bag
of his unaware pregnant fianc�e.
Simon reimagines the story as
that of his parents: Sami becomes
the terrorist, Rachel the fianc�e, and
Simon himself the unborn son.
Simon takes his fiction to an
online chat site, presents it as fact,
and receives feedback from a med-
ley of people who buy his deception.
Navigating a bog of conflicting per-
ceptions, Simon journeys toward
the truth, and others reveal secrets
that allow a full picture to emerge.
Egoyan isn't the silkiest film-
maker, and compared to his
above-cited fare, this is shallow
stuff. The nonlinear storytelling
adds nothing.
As in many of Egoyan's films,
the themes sometimes upstage
the story. Sabine's actions get too
bizarre for credibility. The religious
symbolism is excessive.
Yet as Egoyan delivers everything
from victimhood
to a violin
subplot to a
`Adoration' an intriguing human mosaic
COURTESY PHOTO
Complex issues: From left, Scott Speedman, Arsin�e Khanjian and Devon Bostick
appear in "Adoration," a personal and political drama.
MOVIE REVIEW
Adoration
Starring Devon Bostick,
Arsinee Khanjian, Scott
Speedman, Rachel Blanchard
Written and directed by
Atom Egoyan
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour
40 minutes
To read an interview with Atom Egoyan.
Page 26

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