The Age of Adaline

“The Age of Adaline” tells the story of a young woman named Adaline (Blake Lively) who is born in the early 20th century and lives a normal life until the age of twenty-nine, when she is struck by lightning and becomes immortal through a supposedly scientific process. As the years go by, her appearance never ages. Her greatest difficulty from being immortal is something I did not anticipate, but it is a clever story element that I will let you find out if you watch the movie.

Being immortal causes her to face certain risks in society, and she keeps her immortality a secret, which deters her from getting married. But can she keep the secret or be willing to remain single forever?

Overall, this movie made a positive impression on me. The feel of the movie breaks the mould of a stereotypical romance drama. The movie carries a mysterious tone and a sense of anticipation without pretending to be something more epic than it actually is. The combination of flashbacks in the story, voice-overs, and serious-sounding dialog, with very few attempts at humor, contributed to this effect.

From a Biblical perspective, the theme which stood out to me most was about Adaline getting tired of running from relationships in order to keep her secret, and asking herself whether a life of deceit is a fulfilling life. It is often difficult for people to be willing to change their lifestyle, and I think the Bible acknowledges this. The Apostle Paul described a universal human situation by writing:

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:15-17 NRSV).

Many people carry a sense of guilt about certain matters but lack the drive to do much about it. But, we can trust in God to work in us “to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13 NRSV) so that our lives progressively become more in line with His will. And I believe that sometimes, when God works with us this way, changes come because we get increasingly exhausted with certain pursuits and become motivated to seek a new direction.

This movie may be unsuitable for some audiences due to the content described below, but if you are used to watching movies with such content, I think “The Age of Adaline” is worth seeing.

Objectionable Content

Sexuality: Three scenes of a man and woman in bed together. One of them had intercourse implied but no nudity shown, as they were under the sheets. The second scene was ambiguous due to the dark lighting, and in the third scene they were clothed. There are also at least seven innuendos pertaining to immodest touching or sexual activity.

Language: GD (1), OMG (4), “My G*d” (3), hell (5), damn (1), s-word (1), and one incomplete f-word.

Other: A road scene with speeding and weaving through traffic. Social drinking in at least seven scenes. The main character becomes immortal, but it is presented as a scientific result of a lightning strike.

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
• Young people