Mayer's 'Adam' strikes a balance of seriousness, humor
'Adam'
Max Mayer's "Adam" strikes a pleasant balance of seriousness, humor and affection in its depiction of a romance between a gentle man (Hugh Dancy) with Asperger Syndrome and his attractive new neighbor (Rose Byrne). Brit Dancy and Aussie Byrne create spontaneous, credible characters as Mayer's conventional film avoids "Rain Man in Love." (PG-13) language, sexual situations. 99 minutes.
Info: At the Century Centre, Chicago, and the Evanston CineArts 6.
'Paper Heart'
Nicholas Jasenovec's quasi-doc "Paper Heart" is hands-down the most audaciously inventive movie I've seen so far this year. The ever-cute Charlyne Yi claims she doesn't believe in love, so she and a camera crew tour America interviewing regular folks about real romance, with paper puppet sequences adding surrealistic fun. But is Yi's relationship with the winning Michael Cera real or scripted? Part of the charm is sifting truth from drama. (Hint: the director in the movie is actually actor Jake Johnson.) (PG-13) for language. 89 minutes.
Info: At the Century Centre, Chicago.
'Revanche' (Revenge)
Goetz Spielmann's bold fifth feature is an exquisitely wrought, unpredictable tale of fate, lust, love, and bad aim. When a Vienna cop (Andreas Lust) accidentally kills a woman fleeing from a robbery, her ex-con lover (Johannes Krisch) contemplates revenge while cutting up a zillion cords of firewood at his grandfather's farm. A surprisingly poetic and powerful drama. Not rated, but contains nudity, sexual situations, violence and coarse language. In German and Ukrainian with subtitles. 121 minutes.
At the Music Box in Chicago.