'Adam' Trailer: A Comedy Of Errors About Mistaken Gender Identity

The trailer for “Adam,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has arrived. “Adam” is a coming-of-age story that deals with themes involving sexual and gender identity. It is also a queer story from the POV of a straight character rather than a queer one. Usually, films handling the queer experience are seen through the eyes of the queer characters themselves. However, “Adam” looks to offer a different perspective which may or may not bode well.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Awkward, self-conscious Adam (Nicholas Alexander), a high-school teenager, jumps at the chance to spend the summer with his hip older sister Casey (Margaret Qualley) in New York City. Since leaving home, Casey has integrated herself into the LGBTQ+ community, openly embracing her sexuality and making activism a part of her daily life. When Adam tags along to a marriage-equality march, he sees the beautiful, savvy Gillian (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) and is instantly smitten. Gillian mistakes Adam’s gender identity, and he can’t quite bring himself to correct her error as the two grow closer. 

READ MORE: ‘Adam’: A Case Of Mistaken Sexual Identity Makes For A Charming, Timely Rom-Com [Sundance Review]

Again, the story may be a point of concern: A film involving the trans experience about a cis male. In this day and age, a film like this could become a heavy point of criticism and understandably so. However, the movie’s filmmaker still has plenty of experience with stories pertaining to the trans community. Director Rhys Ernst, making his feature film debut, has been a producer on  “Transparent” and “This Is Me,” shows that shine a light on transgender individuals.

We saw the film as part of this year’s Sundance, and our review said, “‘Adam’ is a small movie, but it still feels like a big step forward for trans representation in film, which has lagged behind gay and lesbian progress made on screen in the last few decades. It’s as imperfect as its hero, but there’s still something to root for here.”

“Adam” will arrive in New York on August 14 and Los Angeles on August 23.