Adore

🧠 Synopsis: Sun-Drenched Transgression and Forbidden Desire

Set in the idyllic coastal town of New South Wales, Australia, Adore (also named as Two Mothers) is a provocative drama that follows lifelong friends Roz (Robin Wright) and Lil (Naomi Watts) as they simultaneously start shocking affairs with each other’s sons. The setup is as shocking as it is seductive. As the teenage boys progress to young adulthood, there is an unfulfilled need that stews until it becomes a complex and multifaceted web of emotional and sexual co-dependency.

Directed by Anne Fontaine and based on a novella by Doris Lessing, Adore seeks to dive into the raw edges of a woman’s maternal instinct, femininity and also the morally ambiguous blend of love, desire and lust. However, what begins as a deeply psychological melodrama is quickly paced to the intersection of highbrow erotic art and melodramatic soap operas.

🎭 Character Arcs and Performances

Watts and Wright both deliver nuanced performances filled with emotional depth. To their credit, they attempt to restrain and ground the premise so that it does not spiral into sensationalism. Wright especially captures Roz’s coolness with muted inner turmoil, balancing a guarded sensuality while Watts plays Lil with a more desperate longing.

Xavier Samuel (Ian) and James Frecheville (Tom) are credible as the sons-in-law lovers. They portray a blend of youthful bravado with the emotional turmoil of adolescence. However, the characters seem to lack any depth aside from the first glaring twist or shock. There is little movement of feeling for the young men whose roles are primarily as vehicles of desire or conflict. The burden of feeling falls on the women.

🎞️ Direction & Style

The striking direction by Anne Fontaine captures the essence of sun-soaked romanticism. The cinematography is oppressively idyllic in its portrayal—of soft waves to golden light with windswept cliffs serving as the vibrant contrast to the film’s concerning plot. The metaphor of the beach serves to illustrate both beauty and danger. Both isolating yet exposed.

Fontaine’s pacing is comfortable and slow which best matches the internal struggle within. While some of the moments of genuine emotion can feel intimate, they almost always head towards the path of melodramatic contrivance. The director Fontaine uses a charged eroticism to explore relationships without interrogating the inherent gap in their psychology.

💡 Themes and Execution

⚖️ Desire vs. Morality

The film Adore attempts to paint love in the most ethically and unbound sense possible. Without excusing its characters, the film indulges in forcing audience discomfort which highlights a stark lack of clarity and overt judgment. The plot thrives where emotional boundaries defy constructed guideposts.

👩‍👦 Motherhood in Rebellion At its most subversive, Adore examines how these women—marked by motherhood, friendship, aging and caregiving—reclaim their neglected bodies and unsettling desires. Their maternal love is paradoxical, not only because of biology, but the feeble emotional boundaries, resulting in a near-Greek tragic symmetry.

🌊 Beauty as a Shield Without a doubt, the film is visually captivating. But that softness also serves a different purpose—untouchable shield softening the taboo and keeps the audience at bay from the repercussions. The beauty they exhibit is polished, yet not always aligned with the underlying psychological turmoil.

📝 Reception and Legacy

On Sundance, Adore was met by divided critiques. Some labeled the performance bold and fearless alongside the lack of morality as praiseworthy, whilst other critics saw it as emotionally devoid and absurd—almost amateur. The audience reception isn’t any different. Some eager to watch the unique love story whilst others driven away from the controversy.

In time, Adore has garnered a version of cult following— branded as a movie that dares go where most drama filmmakers won’t, yet the narrative lacked depth needed to reinforce its shocking premise which leads to quite the argument.

🎯 Final Verdict: Should You Watch Adore? 

Yes, if you’re interested in explorative morally ambiguous character studies and can appreciate strong performances. Adore is beautiful and deeply uncomfortable, like an extended dream sequence that feels like something you’re not meant to relish.