Review: Addition – On the plus side
Directed by Marcelle Lunam
Starring Teresa Palmer, Joe Dempsie, Eamon Farren, Adrienne Pickering
6.5/10
What happens if you subject the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype to a real-world lens? Well, a struggle with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviour that shifts between romantic comedy and a somewhat genuine look at dealing with mental health issues.
For former mathematician Grace (Teresa Palmer), numbers come easily, too easily. She can become obsessed with them, using them to guide her life and calm her anxiety. When she encounters Seamus (Joe Dempsie) while stealing a banana from him to round up to a mathematically perfect ten bananas at the checkout, they start to pursue a romantic relationship. Yet, how successful will a relationship be when you are struggling with anxiety and compulsive behaviour and sharing a bed with Nikola Tesla (Eamon Farren)?
Addition mostly finds the right balance with its lighter romantic start and the tonal shift to its weightier subject matter. Adapting Toni Jordan’s 2008 novel, most of what it shows in its depiction of mental health issues is fairly grounded and relatable (with the exception of Tesla). Anyone that has gone through it (either with themselves or with their family) will recognise the grind of the daily process of putting in the work for treatment.
At its heart, Addition works because of the charm of its two leads. Palmer and Dempsie play off each other well, displaying genuine chemistry from their very first meet-cute. Palmer especially is given a lot of scope to showcase her range, demonstrating the highs and lows of life. The audience can clearly see her enthusiasm and wit but also her self-imposed limitations forced on her by her obsessive behaviour. We see the personal tragedy of this, not just for her, but for those close to her.
The visual flourishes to represent this are, in general, a nice touch, with the world often broken up into a display of numbers. Although, as amusing as it is, the aforementioned Tesla might be a step too far. After all, a persistent visual and audio hallucination is a whole different level of severity. However, let’s be generous and say it’s artistic liberties, a device enabling the director to “show, not tell” the internal struggle. As such, it works well, even if it runs contrary to the more grounded treatment in the rest of the film. In general, Addition treats its subject matter with humour and respect.
Its weakness comes with the peripheral characters of Grace’s family. Here it leans a little hard into archetypes. Hence, they all seem a little less fleshed out than they need to be, despite solid performances from the actors. As clichéd as the characters are, Sarah Peirse, Adrienne Pickering, and especially Lou Baxter do a lot with the little that they are given.
Addition is a great Australian romantic comedy, with some surprising depth to it.
DAVID O’CONNELL