What makes you an adult?
Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is stuck. She’s approaching 30 and having an early-mid life crisis – one that’s seen her regressing to a teenager, living like a hermit in her mum’s garden shed. She spends her days making videos using her thumbs as actors – thumbs that bicker about things like whether Yogi Bear is a moral or existential nihilist. Naturally.
A week before her birthday her Mum (Lorraine Ashbourne) serves her an ultimatum – she needs to move out of the shed, get a haircut that doesn’t put her gender in question and stop dressing like a homeless teenager. And this is one ultimatum Anna doesn’t want any involvement in.
However, when her school friend comes to visit, Anna’s self-imposed isolation becomes impossible to maintain. Soon she is entangled with a troubled eight year old boy obsessed with Westerns, and the local real estate agent whose awkwardness continually undermines his attempts to seduce her.
Adult Life Skills is the story about confronting the things we are most scared of – that explores the universal themes of being lost and finding yourself, making peace with who you are, and regaining self-confidence and dignity. It is basically the same themes as ROCKY if you think about it. Probably. But with thumbs. And a cowboy. And no boxing.
Watch the trailer here:
The comedy drama premiered at the TriBeCa film festival in New York, is in cinemas on 24th June.
Adult Life Skills is making its UK and European premiere at the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival after being selected for the “Best of British” strand and will take place on 18th June. Tickets for this are on sale now.
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