ADAM (US)
High schooler Adam navigates an unfamiliar world of gender and sexual difference when he spends the summer in NYC with his proudly queer sister in this coming-of-age comedy.
Meet Adam (Nicholas Alexander), a socially awkward, fumbling romantic who can’t wait to have his first girlfriend. After his mom (SNL alum Ana Gasteyer) tells him he seems “down in the dumpies,” Adam jumps at the chance to spend the summer in New York City with his older sister Casey (Margaret Qualley). Casey quickly integrates her brother into her primarily LGBTQ+ social circle, opening his eyes to different cultures and perspectives than he’s ever encountered. At a party following a marriage equality march, Adam meets and becomes immediately infatuated with Gillian (Bobbi Salvör Menuez), a charming young woman who identifies as gay. After Gillian mistakes Adam’s gender identity, this boy-meets-girl rom-com quickly turns into an unconventional comedy of errors with complicated emotional stakes. Directed with a thoughtful and open-minded sensitivity by newcomer Rhys Ernst (a former director and producer on Transparent), the film captures an insightful look at queer community in New York a decade ago. Disarmingly funny and deceptively complex, Adam is a tale about identity and acceptance that is sure to stir lots of conversation.
CAST: NICHOLAS ALEXANDER, BOBBI SALVÖR MENUEZ, LEO SHENG, MARGARET QUALLEY
In Competition: First Feature Award
PFS ON US is a free ticketing initiative that makes our programming available to all. Free tickets are available to all films in the Made in USA and Non/Fiction sections of the Festival. Seating is first-come, first-served. Reservations do not guarantee admission.
Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.
CLICK HERE to return to the complete 28th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.