Where Did The Adults Go?

Courtney Marsh makes her feature-length narrative debut with Where Did The Adults Go?. The title comes from the name of the new book written by Cynthia (Carey Cox). Unfortunately, it is not selling as well as she had hoped, putting her and her wife in a difficult financial situation. Cynthia believes she’s come up with a solution that could benefit her and her younger brothers, Bryce (Amadeus Serafini) and Miles (Carson MacCormac).

The good news is that Cynthia will soon see her brothers. The bad news is that the siblings are meeting up to honor their parents on the anniversary of their death. The worst news is that Cynthia’s proposal to sell their parents’ California residence, which is not the home they grew up in, sends Bryce down a warpath and stirs up long-held resentments from all three family members.

Where Did The Adults Go? highlights how having siblings can drive one up the wall. Cynthia’s proposal and its rationale make a lot of sense. Bryce’s refusal to even entertain the idea feels exactly like that one family member who hates every idea unless it’s theirs. Miles, the youngest and still in college, wants to help his sister, but buys into some of Bryce’s reasons for not going through with it. The writing stems from lived experiences, particularly when Cynthia delves into what her book was truly meant to be about (the best scene in the film). Admittedly, the subplot involving Miles’s ex serves little purpose and comes across as ultimately pointless.

“…Cynthia’s proposal to sell their parents’ California residence…sends Bryce down a warpath…”

Cox leaps into her role with fearless abandon. At times, she comes across as a stick-in-the-mud, but the actor ensures that it stems from her principles and beliefs. It is a tightrope walk to stay relatable and engaging while possibly believing oneself to be better than everyone else. Serafini is great at being hateable. Bryce makes no bones about his behavior, and the actor portrays the part with a smug attitude that works entirely. He still finds raw emotions when the time comes and certainly impresses with his range. MacCormac effortlessly comes across as a college student stuck between adult life and still being a teen. The primary trio plays off each other wonderfully, selling the fact that they are siblings.

Marsh directs in the Kevin Smith mold of filmmaking. This means that she’s more interested in the characters and the story than in visual flair. Yes, a few scenes have a cool look, but mostly the film consists of medium and tight shots of people talking in various rooms. The filmmaker tightly controls the tone, with a heavily dramatic scene followed by a moment in a hot tub full of levity, which works very well. But this isn’t very dynamic in its look, but there’s still a lot to admire.

Where Did The Adults Go? is a solid and dramatic glimpse into the lives of adult siblings still grieving. The tone is carefully maintained, and the characterizations are excellent. But the cast is even better, with Cox, Serafini, and MacCormac playing their roles to perfection. Even with its few flaws, this marks a strong feature debut from Marsh.

For more information, visit the official Where Did The Adults Go site.