When Adam Changes is a Canadian animated coming of age film sprinkled with some dark humor. It’s directed by Joël Vaudreuil after a short hiatus from his short films as he took on his first feature film project. The film follows 15-year-old Adam’s life after his grandmother’s funeral, taking us through his day-to-day awkward high school experience with some extremely odd situations happening throughout.

The choice of animation style may put some people off, giving off the same vibes as Vewn or David Firth’s animations, but it fits perfectly with the story and characters we are presented with. The odd-looking characters really stick out against the minimalist and almost empty environments, letting us focus our attention on the characters and their interactions. The choice of going minimalist with the environments was a conscious choice, Vaudreuil taking inspiration from the small town he grew up in; the town is satisfying to look at, each environment feeling incredibly unique. The characters also have their own special looks, nothing like what we’d see in any other movie; we even have a cat with no legs or arms just casually thrown in there. 

The story is a slow burn since we are just following Adam’s daily life, but you are always given something weird and new with each day; this movie is constantly surprising you with how absurd it can get at times. This isn’t just some ordinary high school life, though. Adam does have a special quirk where any time he gets berated about a physical trait of his (which happens a lot), it physically morphs his body. There is always a creepy tune playing in the background as his body grossly distorts but even with all this, these transformations are never acknowledged by any of the other characters, making it even creepier as it feels like we’re the only ones who really notice. Despite this odd factor and some other random occurrences that happen, it really does still feel like a sweet coming of age film – following this teen attending a funeral, working his summer jobs, bullying, family tension, and an unrequited crush.

When Adam Changes is a film, I recommend going into blind; it’s best not watch the trailer beforehand and just dive into this film headfirst (however, I’ve linked the trailer below, if you still want to check it out).  The animation style will grow on you after the first couple of minutes and then you’ll be set. Despite its weirdness, it is still a great coming of age film with an ending that’ll warm your heart.

We give When Adam Changes a 4/5.