The Age Of Adaline

Sometimes we wish we had all the time in the world. Some aspire for immortality (essentially through deeds). But being granted one of the flesh, liberated from the ravages of time can be as fascinating as it is traumatic. And daily living in the real world, instead of joining the X-Men, can be rather humdrum and depressing.

Adaline (Blake Lively) must survive with this genetic anomaly because of a freak accident. She lives through a series of pets and relationships, unable to form anything meaningful because of the transience of their lives and the permanence of hers. There is that added complication of looking youthful when law enforcement officers want further verification of her identity, setting the FBI on her trial. Adaline switches identities and changes locations, always looking over her shoulder for the pursuers that may come any time.

Her ageing daughter Flemming (Ellen Burstyn) remains the constant fixture in her life, though if she did have an extended family of husband and grandchildren; Adaline never gets to see them. When we meet her, she is living under the alias Jennifer Larson, while her dignified carriage, sober shades and muted prints impart to her an otherworldly vintage look. Perhaps that is what draws Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman, better known as Game of Thrones’ Daario Naharis) to her on New Year’s Eve.

He is on the board of the San Francisco Historical Preservation Society. That could be what makes him right for Adaline. Both look back with nostalgia and fondness. Adaline is obviously the authority on the past which is subtly evident in the scene where they listen to jazz on a dinner date. She considers it noise, he asks her if she likes jazz and she says, “I do… but this is something else.” That, and when she bests Ellis’ father William (Harrison Ford) in a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Soon, her secret is about to be discovered, which loses much of its thrilling and emotional impact in the absence of a stirring romance (Ellis is seemingly more rakish than sincere for most part). There is much that can be done with a woman’s timeless biological cycle, but the mainstay is the romance. It would have been more interesting to have her shadowed by government operatives, but was probably considered superfluous to the genre. That is still no excuse for the sluggish pace which is otherwise bolstered by good performances (even though Kathy Baker and Ellen Burstyn are underutilised).

The Age of Adaline will make a lazy watch on a rainy weekend afternoon. It has the texture to match your somnolent mood for that day.