Stars: Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Emily Mortimer, Peter Mullan

Director: David Mackenzie

Summary: A drifter becomes involved in a murder. But does he know more than he's letting on?

YOUNG ADAM is David McKenzie's adaptation of Alexander Trocchi's novel, a romantic murder mystery set on a barge in the canals of Scotland. Lovely photography by Giles Nuttgens, complemented by a lonely score by David Byrne, provides a picturesque backdrop for what is otherwise a seedy story of morality gone far astray and hopelessness taking hold of everyday life, with sex as the only outlet. Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton both lend excellent performances to the film, acting out a strained relationship of carnal misgiving that is their mutual respite.
Working on a barge that travels to ports between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Joe (McGregor) is a randy ol' chap. He befriends Les (Peter Mullen) as they endure hard days shovelling coal and pass their evenings over pints and darts in the local pubs. But Joe is simply positioning himself to seduce Les' wife, Ella (Swinton), who he easily and frequently beds. This steamy affair, illustrated on-screen by cold, frank and realistic coitus, eventually leads to trouble for all three. A subplot concerns Joe's past romance with a girl (Emily Mortimer) whose mysterious death is reported in local papers, with flashbacks to raunchy sexual interludes representing his fondest memories of her.

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David Mackenzie's Young Adam, based on Alexander Trocchi's existentialist novel, demonstrates that Ewan McGregor means what he says about using high-paying Hollywood roles to finance appearances in intelligent low-budget movies. As Joe, an aspiring 1950s writer whose alienated selfishness destroys everyone around him, he is quietly authoritative. Tilda Swinton and Emily Mortimer are hardly less good as the two women in his life, and Peter Mullen as Les, the older friend whom he betrays, is touching and macho in the same breath. Les's canal barge is as much of a character as any of the people--this is a film in which the characters' occupations matter. Similarly the 1950s period detail is stunning, as is the gloomy cinematography: the high relief shadows and occasional visual distortions give the film a real visual style of its own that works well with its literary subject matter.

On the DVD:Young Adamis presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. Special features include an informative making-of featurette in which the cast members talk about their passionate commitment to the project, the theatrical trailer, an audio track of David Byrne's original score, and a sequence of Ewan McGregor narrative voice-overs that runs with stills on screen. --Roz Kaveney

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2003
Release Date:	March 29, 2004
Runtime:	98 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	R D 095707
Keywords:	Adam, General, Young, Drama
Genre:	Drama