DVD Review: Adjuster, The (A)

The Adjuster (1991)
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Starring Elias Koteas, Arsinee Khanjian and Maury Chaykin
MPAA: R
Grade: A

Review by Scott Standish

Director Atom Egoyan has created many beautiful films over the years (Exotica, Sweet Hereafter, Calendar, etc.) but The Adjuster remains my favorite. Viewing it once again I was amazed at how well this film holds up over time. Its just as powerful today as when it was released 12 years ago. The characters and plot seem totally detached from the headlines and technology of the outside world, so there is really nothing to date this movie. If you haven't seen this amazing character study yet, you are missing out on one of independent cinema's best movies.

Dark and mysterious, the plot centers around a familiar Egoyan theme: loss. Egoyan is fascinated with examining how people react to tragedy or a major loss in their lives. In Exotica, the main character is trying to come grips with the loss of a family member. In Sweet Hereafter an entire town attempts to find answers to the tragic deaths of scores of school children. In The Adjuster, people have lost their houses to fire and in the process, have also lost all of their lifelong possessions.

Elias Koteas (a DVD Confidential favorite) plays Noah, an insurance adjuster that offers comfort to those that have lost all their material possessions. Noah arranges lodging for these victims in a local hotel, telling them that they might not really realize it but they are in shock, and "its important to stay somewhere where you will feel comfortable".

Noah is not a one sided character by any means. Egoyan's characters never are. Noah takes advantage of the helplessness that his clients feel by sleeping with them and by taking a strange pleasure in the power that he holds over their lives. Noah's wife, the angelic Hera, is a censor for the film board, but she also secretly videotapes the graphic sexual and violent images being shown at the screening. Supporting characters Bubba and Mimi are rich society types that seem to have done everything the world can offer, and now feel the need to set up elaborate sexual fantasies to find something new or exciting. Bubba and Mimi keep pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior and when these characters meete up with Noah and Hera, problems emerge.

The Adjuster is an intense character study that slowly unravels, revealing the secrets of each of its characters over time. Hauntingly beautiful, the photography and minimalistic set design are close to perfect. The acting is stellar across the board. A fantastically quirky script by Egoyan keeps the audience on it's toes for the full ride. The Adjuster is highly recommended.

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