“Adaline” — the single word uttered by William Jones (Harrison Ford) the moment he saw his long lost love step into the foyer, more than 40 years after their love affair. Only one peculiar part of this moment, aside from his current wife standing by him as he stared in awe, was the simple fact that the woman whose name had left his lips had not aged one day since their first meeting on a dusty England road.

As people grow older, most share a similar dream — eternal youth. Some wish to never grow old simply to stay beautiful forever, while others desire it so they can live life to the fullest for as long as time allows. In the newly released film, “The Age of Adaline,” themes of aging and immortality are explored in a beautifully moving way.

Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) once lived a quiet life, marrying a Golden Gate Bridge construction worker and raising her lively daughter, Flemming (Ellen Burstyn) in the quiet suburbs of San Francisco.

Photo via IMDb

However, one stormy night she lost control of her vehicle and was hurled into frozen lake waters — stopping her breathing and slowing her heart rate immediately. Just as Adaline was close to death, a bolt of lightening struck her, jolting her near-lifeless body. Soon though, she would discover there was one catch to this reawakening — Adaline would never age another day as long as she lived.

The movie jumped between flashbacks of her past and the trials of her present as Adaline struggled with concealing her secret. She even relocated and changed her name every decade, in an effort to go undetected.

Over the years, Adaline built a rather large wall around her heart to not get attached to anyone. She made that mistake once, with William in England, and vowed to never let another man have her heart again.

Eventually, however, she is forced to face these fears when a bearded philanthropist named Ellis (Michiel Huisman, “Game of Thrones”) sweeps Adaline off her feet and urges her to free herself of whatever is holding her back. He offers her something she has always been afraid to feel again — love.

“Give me something I can hold on to and never let go,” Adaline implores.

To this, Ellis simply mutters,  “Let go.”

This becomes the plot of the movie that resonated with me. Adaline is a woman who has been through so much and has built her walls up so high; she never felt she would be able to let anyone in again. However, this movie shows that just by trusting one special person and letting go of all fears and qualms, one can be truly free.

“The Age of Adaline” teaches audiences that it is OK to stop running away from our fears — from truly embracing life and living it to the fullest, no matter the circumstances or how long you have left to live.

The cinematography of this movie was exquisite — the shots included brilliant fades, focuses and transitions that gave the feeling of being transported back in time to the 1960s. The film, even in a modern day setting, had a vintage feel to it that made the cinematic experience much more charming.

Casting for the film was phenomenally well-selected and dynamic. Lively has an everlasting quality to her — combining that with antiquated costuming and hair and makeup, her character makes the sense of timelessness believable.

Huisman entices audiences with his brooding, but gentle manner and undying passion once he set his sights on Adaline. At times, his character seemed  a tad on the stalker side, but Huisman’s manner remained gentlemanly — he simply wanted to push Adaline to break out of her walls.

Ford impresses, as usual, portraying the torn lover about to celebrate his anniversary with his wife when he is thrown into a whirlwind of events as his past comes back to haunt him. He embraces emotions in a way that draws the audience to feel what his character is feeling.

This film will tug at the heartstrings of its viewers and allow them to examine their thoughts of eternal beauty and what it really means to let go and let life happen. Also, by the end of the film, you will never be happier to see gray hair in your life.

Article by Caitlin Grove

Article via alestlelive.com