Michael Cera grapples with isolation and sibling strife in ‘The Adults’

By KRYSTA FAURIA
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When director Dustin Guy Defa set out to make a movie about isolation, grief and familial strife, he wasn’t quite cognizant of the unmistakable ways in which the effects of the coronavirus pandemic were informing his script. Now, however, he concedes that “The Adults,” which hits select theaters Friday, is loaded with obvious inspiration from some of the flashpoints of 2020, the year he wrote it. “The Adults” premiered in February at the Berlin International Film Festival and was subsequently picked up by Universal Pictures. It stars Michael Cera, Sophia Lillis and Hannah Gross.