Adaptation

Director: Spike Jonze

2002 / 114min / DCP

Tasked with writing a screenplay based on Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, Charlie Kaufman embarks on a voyage to solve the myriad problems in both his art and life. Kaufman and Jonze’s careers seemed to intersect at just the right moment, resulting in a head-spinning film that attempts far more than should be possible in two hours (and somehow pulls it all off). It’s a deeply felt portrayal of anxiety and insecurity, a meta-commentary on the codified rules of screenwriting, an exploration of “adaptation” in all its forms, and miraculously, a genuinely funny, moving, and enthralling story.