Y Tu Mamá También (for the sexual tension), The Reader (for taboo romance), or glossy dramas about beautiful people making terrible decisions.
Rating: ⭐⭐½ (2.5/5)
The central issue with Adore is that it never quite decides what it wants to say. Does it want to be a serious drama about grief, loneliness, and the blurred lines between maternal and romantic love? Or is it a glossy, soft-core fantasy about older women and younger men? The film straddles both lanes uncomfortably. adore full movie
Adore is the kind of film that begs to be discussed rather than simply watched. Based on Doris Lessing’s novella The Grandmothers , this sun-drenched Australian drama presents a provocative premise: two lifelong best friends (Naomi Watts and Robin Wright) begin romantic and sexual relationships with each other’s teenage sons. Y Tu Mamá También (for the sexual tension),
You are uncomfortable with age-gap dynamics, large power imbalances, or films that prioritize mood over plot logic. Or is it a glossy, soft-core fantasy about
Adore is less about love and more about selfishness. It asks whether a lifelong friendship can survive when both parties decide to burn the rulebook of motherhood together. The answer the film gives is haunting, but getting there requires a hefty suspension of disbelief.
The relationships begin when the boys are 15 (though the actors are clearly adults, which softens the ick factor). The narrative glosses over the inherent power imbalance and potential for psychological damage with surprising speed. Instead of a gritty exploration of abuse or manipulation, Adore presents the affairs as almost natural—a kind of logical, beautiful extension of the friends’ intense bond. The lack of societal judgment (the small town seems oddly oblivious) robs the story of tension it desperately needs.