Young Adam
written and directed by David Mackenzie
based on the novel by Alexander Trocchi

            Sitting through David Mackenzie’s erotic thriller as melodrama may cause one to think of the letter D either as a grade to give the film or as the beginning letter to such adjective as dull, degrading, despicable, depressing, disorderly, disgusting and demoralizing. It may evoke Jean Vigo’s classic film L’Atalante, because there isn’t too many films set on barges, and in doing so will hopefully remind audiences of worthwhile cinema. It isn’t that Young Adam is so awful but there’s just not enough narrative, intrigue, shock, reasoning or interest to make up for how slow and insignificant is this tale of debauchery.
            Ewan McGregor plays Joe (there is no character named Adam and any Biblical implications are ignorable), an extra hand aboard the barge owned by Ella (Tilda Swinton) and operated by her husband Les (Peter Mullan, who can direct a much finer picture than this). They also have a young son aboard. Joe sleeps with Ella and Les leaves. Ella’s sister comes aboard and Joe sleeps with her as well. There is more sex that Joe has with other women, including flashbacks to a girlfriend (Emily Mortimer) with an unfortunate role in the present, and it’s all enough to grant the film an NC-17 but still so unnecessarily boring that the rating seems like a marketing ploy.