Once again, I am encouraged by stories about time and love.
The Age of Adaline is one of those movies that stays with you, lingering in your mind and stirring your heart with the ideal of humanity’s possibilities. The story centers on a young woman who, after a near-fatal car accident, is revived in a way that leaves her forever frozen in time. She is forced to live life from a single stopping point, 26 years old.
Even at this young age, she has experienced a wide range of pain and difficult choices: the loss of a husband, broken and unfulfilled love, and the experience of being a single mother to a daughter who continues to age while she remains the same. These are the consequences she carries for surviving a life-changing event.
Adaline meets Ellis, who is, by all accounts, a heartthrob. Long hair, sexy beard, dreamy eyes, and all. He is enchanted
by Adaline, who is guarded for obvious reasons, but he pursues her endlessly. The way he manages to make her laugh and loosen her reserves with just his voice is proof that pure love can bring happiness. I think what I love about this element of the movie is that Ellis is not some crazy, obsessive person. Instead, he is completely captivated by learning even the smallest things about her. And he wants to learn them so that he can find a way to make her smile and be happy. There is a sadness that even her reserved nature is unable to hide. Ellis sees it and works his hardest to change it.
Of course, the science-fiction element appeals to me as well. Ellis is the son of a deep thinker, an astronomer. He, too, once had a unique experience that shaped and framed his life. I will not spoil the movie for anyone, because the reveal is one of the best parts of the film. What I will say is that I love the idea that, while that moment shaped his life, it did not change its trajectory. I truly think that no matter which path he had taken, he would have ended up in the same space, with the same people. The part of the plot makes me think about my second book, Twin Souls: A Blue Moon Novel. Chance encounters drive important events that lead to long-standing connections.
The movie forces you to think about the importance of the people you meet who are meaningful in the moment, but perhaps only for that moment. How did that moment impact them? What changes occurred, and were they positive enhancements or deep regrets?
This movie also makes me think about soulmates and their passage through time. Adaline loves three people with her whole heart throughout the film. Yes, she is technically over 100 years old, but three loves is still a lot of love for one lifetime. Adaline is continually searching for lasting love while simultaneously experiencing uncommon and extraordinary forms of it.
Maybe that is what makes the story so beautiful to me. Love is not always measured by how long someone remains in our lives. Sometimes it is measured by how deeply they change us while they are there. Time may determine how long we have with someone, but it does not determine the meaning of your experience with them. Perhaps the greatest possibility the movie offers is the reminder that even when life takes us down unexpected paths, love has a way of finding us again—and sometimes, when it does, it asks us to stop running from the life we were meant to live.
Movie Quote: “Years, lovers, and glasses of wine- these are things that should never be counted.”
Tanela’s Add-On
“These things should only be experienced and shown as proof of life lived and lived well.”