Adoration

I will see any film directed by Atom Egoyan. He is brilliant and creative. This film was written, produced and directed by this talented man. His wife Arsinee Khanjian appears in all his films. She is exotic looking and a very fine actor. Many of the scenes are in Toronto. It was entertaining to see many scenes on the Gardiner. I especially enjoyed the scene in the old Canary Restaurant on Eastern Ave. This restaurant is a relic from the past and still operates today. Many of the cast are Canadian and I think the film is amazing. At times the plot does become a little ‘over the top.’ But I put that down to the creative mind of Atom Egoyan. He likes to use playbacks and often confuses the audience with reality and fantasy.

Simon is a young teenager living with his uncle, Tom. Tom is a tow truck driver who is trying his best to be a guardian to Simon. Tom’s parents are dead and this is part of the controversy.

Simon writes an essay at school telling the tale of his father being a terrorist who planted a bomb in his mother’s suitcase. You view scenes of his mother at the airport being questioned by security. Was this real or a fantasy of Simon? We are then told that his parents died in a car crash.

Simon’s teacher wants to present the story as a play in the school. The teacher is played by Arsinee Khanjian. Her relationship with Scott becomes a central focus in the convoluted plot.

The film goes back and forth from the present time to the past. We see Simon’s mother as a child who loved to play the violin. In later years she meets her husband of Middle East descent. They obviously love each other but at the same time we are led to be a bit suspicious of him. Simon’s fantasies seem real and we question what the real story is. Throughout Simon is trying to find himself through the past.

I loved the Toronto scenes. The acting by a mainly Canadian cast is excellent. Atom Egoyan has his own style. Some like it. I am one of those.