As a romantic drama, Adam gets the job done and hits all of the relevant points that people look for in the genre. The film features two characters that fall in love despite an obvious fatal flaw in the relationship, proving once again that love is blind. Those looking for a touching romance won’t be disappointed here. As a film, however, Adam focuses on the wrong main character, which may disappoint some with several seemingly inert scenes.

Adam Rika (Hugh Dancy) suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder that renders sufferers unable to empathize with others. Empathy is important in detecting linguistic nuances, like sarcasm, as well as interpreting non-verbal communication. Life can be difficult for people with Asperger’s Syndrome, unless the people they communicate with are absolutely explicit. When the film begins, Adam’s father has just passed away and Adam must get by on his own, with a little help from a family friend, Harlan (Frankie Faison). One day, Adam meets Beth (Rose Byrne), a new tenant in his apartment building. She’s new to the area and recovering from a breakup with a cheating boyfriend. When she and Adam meet and start to get to know each other, it’s a strange pairing, especially when Adam’s disability forces him to ask questions about Beth’s sexual arousal, because he can’t tell. As time goes on, however, their individual needs for truth in relationships proves that they aren’t so different after all.

The acting in Adam is definitely what makes the film and the two leads deliver outstanding performances. Hugh Dancy is completely believable as someone with a mild autism. He’s fascinated by the mundane, completely ignoring his surroundings. He mechanically goes through his day eating the same meals. He’s also constantly swept up in filibusters when people ask him questions, thinking that they truly wanted to know everything about the subject instead of making small talk. Adam is rarely emotional, but when his emotions get the best of him, he explodes in fury and panic that illustrates Dancy’s broad range. The same can be said for Rose Byrne, who arguably has the more difficult role as the straight person in the onscreen relationship, with nothing but a regular character to keep audiences’ interest. Despite not having any unique character traits, Byrne still commands the screen in each of her scenes, finding the right tone to deliver a performance that never reminds audiences that she’s acting.

The scenes are also edited well, and none of them ever run one second longer than they have to. The scene where Adam flies off the handle after discovering what he considers a betrayal is particularly startling in how it’s edited. The only real criticism of the film is that it follows Adam rather than Beth. While Adam is an interesting choice, because his life is more challenging in fresh ways, the fact that his disability requires constant handholding makes him more reactive than proactive, which isn’t very satisfying from a narrative point of view. Adam doesn’t really become proactive until very late in the film, and audiences may be left wondering why the film didn’t focus on Beth primarily until that point. With that in mind, if audiences can reserve their judgment until after finishing Adam, it’s unlikely they will leave theaters disappointed. Adam offers a rich story, a unique premise and rare gems of dramatic acting. It isn’t a perfect film, but what it gets right, it does so superlatively.