Adam Resurrected

Paul Schrader's Adam Resurrected, based on a novel by Yoram Kaniuk, stars Jeff Goldblum as Adam Stein, a charismatic but troublesome patient at the Seizling Institute sanitarium, located deep in the Israeli desert. When a new arrival—a boy who acts like a dog—sends Stein into a panic, the reason is soon revealed in flashback: Stein was a famous entertainer in Berlin during the 1930s, but was eventually sent to a concentration camp where he was adopted as a pet by the commandant (Willem Dafoe). Stein literally acted as the man's dog while prisoners (including his own family) were herded off to the gas chamber. After the war, Stein was shunned by other survivors and guilt-ridden about how he saved himself—past horrors that are revived by the appearance of the dog-boy. Adam Resurrected follows Stein's desperate effort to draw the lad back into the human world, while also attempting to recover some degree of normalcy in his own life by reconnecting with his daughter—neither of which ultimately work out as Stein hopes. While one has to admire Schrader's attempt to dramatize such a challenging story, and Goldblum's willingness to tackle a role requiring both a perverted charm and a deep sense of self-loathing, the director's characteristically cold and austere style coupled with the actor's artificial performance make it hard for the viewer to feel the empathy required to make the film work. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Paul Schrader, a cast and crew Q&A from the Haifa International Film Festival (71 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (24 min.), deleted scenes (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)