Anna is stuck: she’s approaching 30 and has just moved back to her rural home-town, and into a shed in her mother’s backyard. She spends her time working a menial job at a local boating center and hides in the depths of her imagination, making movies with her thumbs. Irritated by her childish behavior, Anna's mother insists that she move out of her shed and on with her life. When a troubled young boy starts hanging around, the two form an unlikely bond. Through their strange yet mutually beneficial friendship, Anna slowly begins to confront her perpetual state of arrested development.
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Adult Life Skills is a small but great film. It is led by Jodie Whittaker in a great performance (though she is BAFTA worthy in Journeyman) and has a strong supporting cast. I liked the cinematography a lot and the script was touching, funny, genuine, and emotional. I loved it. 9 out of 10.
Is Adult Life Skills perfect? No. But is it entertaining, endearing, and does it boast a beautiful performance from Jodie Whittaker and strong supporting cast? Oh yes it does. Whittaker deserved every ounce of that BIFA Nomination for Best Actress. While the film isn't perfect, I don't see why it has a 6.2 out of 10. It is much better than that.
What a movie! The actors are fantastic, beginning with Jodie Whittaker who is just captivating. I laughed, I cried, I laughed and cried again. I love it when a movie moves me, touches me, grips me. This little treasure sure did. And after the closing credits (with one of my favorite songs) I knew I just fell in love with it. If anyone ever watched "Jackie" with Holly Hunter knows what I am talking about. This big fat grinning on the face while watching the whole credits and that good feel that stays for hours after the film ended. That's how I felt after watching "Adult Life Skills".
Hannah, after losing her twin brother 18 months ago, has moved into her mother's shed and has stubbornly refused to move on. She and her brother were very creative together and she continues her creative efforts by making videos of thumb puppets traveling in space which earns her constant criticism from her mother, who has taken a tough love approach to forcing Hannah to move on by forcing her to vacate the shed by her 30th birthday.Hannah's mother, grandmother, suitor, and girlfriend are all delightfully quirky. If you like quirky, this movie is for you. These characters are not one dimensional, but all have strengths and flaws that are shown to us by a very gifted writer/director.One explosion, no car chases, and no gratuitous violence make this a movie that does not waste ones time with formulaic nonsense for the brain dead. Instead it illustrates through actions the panic and struggle of letting go a loss so great that one thinks her life will never be the same, that it's impossible to move on. And the film illustrates the jolts of losing the precious things, one at a time, that keep her isolated and bound to her dead twin.Yet there is nothing morbid or overly dramatic in this presentation. The film is full of humor. Hannah must look after a young boy whose mother is dying, knowing what he will face. Yet he's a young cowboy and his own quirkiness mirrors Hannah's, as does his journey. Hannah is pursued awkwardly by Brandon, a somewhat shy individual who manages to approach her at the worst times, like when she's peeing behind a boat. And her dead twin appears to her in snorkeling gear which may be a clue to his death, or just his sense of humor.There's not a surprise ending to spoil. This movie is about the journey and not the outcome and like all good films, it's made up of moments which are captivating to watch and feel as well as some good laughs along the way. I highly recommend it.
