The closing film of the Edinburgh International Film Festival is suitably light in tone. A romcom with a twist, it's a tale of a beautiful girl meets boy with Asperger's Syndrome, a condition that is a mild form of autism.
Adam (British actor Hugh Dancy) has the gift of encyclopaedic recall of facts and numbers (particularly anything to do with Space). But he is not wired to comprehend nuance, inuendo, irony, or suggestion. He takes everything literally. The subtleties of body language or tone of voice go over his head. Naturally, this makes social situations awkward and meeting people incredibly stressfull for him.
This might not make promising material for a romance - but the film pulls it off reasonably well. The story is straightforward. Adam lives alone in a Manhattan apartment following his father's death. Egged on by his down-to-earth friend and older mentor Harlan (Frankie Faison), he begins to woo - in his own inimitable way - his attractive, upstairs neighbour Beth.
Naturally, there is scope for awkward situation comedy as the romance takes its bumpy path and as Adam is drawn into the Beth's social circle. Fortunately, writer-director Max Mayer doesn't overcook these scenes, the best part of the film. The relationship between Adam and the gruff Harlan, is also done with gentle humour and warmth.
As Mayer seeks a credible resolution to his set-up in the second part of the film, the story gets weaker. A secondary plot in which Beth's father (a smooth-talking Peter Gallagher) is put on trial for fraud, leads to some rather forced speechifying about the nature of truth. The story feels contrived, but it's not a total disaster. The performances are strong, holding the film together.