LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� When director Dustin Guy Defa set out to make a movie about isolation, grief and familial strife, he wasn鈥檛 quite cognizant of the unmistakable ways in which the effects of the were informing his script.
Now, however, he concedes that 鈥淭he Adults,鈥� which hits select theaters Friday, is loaded with obvious inspiration from some of the 鈥� the year he wrote it.
鈥淚n hindsight, it definitely did,鈥� Defa said of the pandemic鈥檚 influence. 鈥淚 definitely was thinking about the importance of family, even if you have strained relationships.鈥�
鈥淭he Adults,鈥� which premiered in February at the and was subsequently picked up by Universal Pictures, stars , and Hannah Gross.
It tells a poignant story of three siblings with dead parents as they reckon with how to relate to one another now that the simplicity and innocence of childhood is behind them. While visiting his sisters and hometown for the first time in years, Eric (Cera) grapples anew with how the stressors and variances of life have informed his relationship with Rachel (Gross) and their youngest sibling, Maggie (Lillis), who recently dropped out of college.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e still those people but they鈥檙e not those people at the same time. They鈥檙e trying on old suits that don鈥檛 fit anymore,鈥� Defa said of the characters鈥� futile efforts to revive the Marge Simpson impressions and Men at Work choreography that served as familiar sources of comfort in their youth.
While the picture that emerges could perhaps be seen as cynical, figuring out how to navigate those evolving relationships is a task relatable, on at least some level, to everyone with a sibling 鈥� even if that attachment is a healthy one.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so funny how particular that relationship is, especially once you get older and you have your own life,鈥� Lillis said during a press junket at the in June, musing about her bond with her own brother. 鈥淚t kind of shifts a little bit from this very familiar thing of being a part of their life completely into only being a part of it.鈥�
鈥淭he Adults鈥� is the kind of low-budget, character-driven independent film that attracts actors like Cera and Gross, who had both worked with Defa in the past. Cera starred in his similarly touching, albeit more lighthearted, 鈥淧erson to Person,鈥� which premiered at the in 2017 and was eventually distributed by Magnolia Pictures.
鈥淚, like most actors, am drawn to rich material and Dustin鈥檚 a great writer. The script was so full of wonderful moments and scenes and characters,鈥� Cera said of the director's latest film.
Gross, who first worked with Defa a decade ago and has since acted in a handful of his short films, also cited his writing and direction as reasons for why she keeps coming back to his projects.
鈥淣ostalgic sounds demeaning but there is something that feels 鈥� there鈥檚 a reverence for actors and for characters that feels very much of another era of filmmaking,鈥� she said.
It鈥檚 an impressive feat that a film as austere as this one was able to be made amid the pandemic 鈥� they wrapped shooting days before the first wave of the narrowly avoiding production shutdowns 鈥� let alone given a theatrical release by a major studio.
鈥淚t is rare that a movie like this, I think, gets an opportunity to even get financing,鈥� Cera said. 鈥淚 felt lucky to be Dustin鈥檚 friend and have access to reading his work as he鈥檚 developing it and happy to have a chance to go and work on it.鈥�
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
