Adoration

Adoration speaks to our connections—with each other, with our family history, with technology and with the modern world.

Sabine (ARSINÉE KHANJIAN), a high school French teacher, gives her class a translation exercise based on a real news story about a terrorist who plants a bomb in the airline luggage of his pregnant girlfriend.

The assignment has a profound effect on one student, Simon (DEVON BOSTICK), who lives with his uncle (SCOTT SPEEDMAN). In the course of translating, Simon re-imagines that the news item is his own family's story, with the terrorist standing in for his father.

Years ago, Simon's father (NOAM JENKINS) crashed the family car, killing both himself and his wife (RACHEL BLANCHARD), making Simon an orphan. Simon has always feared that the accident was intentional.

Simon reads his version to the class and then takes it to the Internet. In essence, he has created a false identity which allows him to probe his family secret. As Simon uses his new persona to journey deeper into his past, the public reaction is swift and strong.

Then an exotic woman reveals her true identity. The truth about Simon's family emerges. The mystery is solved and a new family is formed.

“Fascinating...folding all sorts of post-9/11 questions into a very Egoyanesque miasma of elegantly fractured chronology and provocative ideas.” (Justin Chang, Variety)

“A profound and provocative exploration of cultural inheritance, communications technology and the roots and morality of terrorism...Mr. Egoyan’s finest film since The Sweet Hereafter.” (Stephen Holden, New York Times)

“A haunting meditation on the nature of received wisdom and how it can warp individuals, damage families and even threaten society.” (Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter)