The Adults


Hannah Gross, Sophia Lillis, Michael Cera
The Adults by Dustin Guy Defa
USA 2023, Encounters
© Universal Pictures Content Group
Displaying all the sensitivity and wicked humour of his previous works, Dustin Guy Defa’s new film is a shrewd study of the pitiless condition known as adulthood. After growing up in a family unit that constitutes your whole world, with its particular set of habits and a shared language, crossing the border into the realm of adults can feel disempowering, even terrifying. A sense of loss may be difficult to ever really overcome. The film’s meticulous structure and novelistic depth lay bare this fundamental fear, but also the resources that exist to fight it. Setting about this treasure hunt deep within as individuals and as a family is an admirable trio of actors whose interpretation is as nuanced as it is poignant.
With
- Michael Cera (Eric)
- Hannah Gross (Rachel)
- Sophia Lillis (Maggie)
- Wavyy Jonez (Dennis)
- Anoop Desai (Josh)
- Kyra Tantao (Megan)
- Kiah McKirnan (Amanda)
- Simon Kim (Greg)
- Lucas Papaelias (Bobby)
- Tina Benko (Christina)
Crew
Director | Dustin Guy Defa |
Screenplay | Dustin Guy Defa |
Cinematography | Tim Curtin |
Editing | Michael Taylor |
Music | Alex Weston |
Sound Design | Gaelan Mullins |
Sound | Heather Monetti |
Production Design | Caity Birmingham |
Costumes | Lizzie Donelan |
Make-Up | Camille M. Harris |
Casting | Jessica Kelly |
Assistant Director | Andrew Harrington |
Production Manager | Julia Thompson |
Producers | Michael Cera, Hannah Dweck, Ted Schaefer, Allison Rose Carter, Jon Read, Julia Thompson |
Executive Producers | Paul Aanonsen, Susan Dweck, Susan Freed, Louie Dweck, Ralph Dweck |
World Sales
Universal Pictures Content Group
Produced by
Dweck Productions
http://www.dweckproductions.com http://www.dweckproductions.com
Savage Rose Films
http://www.savagerosefilms.com http://www.savagerosefilms.com

Dustin Guy Defa
The director at the film talk.
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 18, 2023

Sophia Lillis
The protagonist on the Red Carpet.
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 18, 2023

Michael Cera
The actor at the premiere of the film.
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 18, 2023

Dustin Guy Defa, Michael Cera, Hannah Gross
You! Me? The director with his protagonists at the premiere.
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 18, 2023

Kiah McKirnan, Hannah Gross, Dustin Guy Defa, Sophia Lillis, Michael Cera
The film team at the Photo Call.
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 18, 2023

Dustin Guy Defa
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 19, 2023
© Jens Koch

Michael Cera
The Adults · Encounters · Feb 19, 2023
© Jens Koch
The Adults
Encounters · Red Carpet · Feb 18, 2023
Dustin Guy Defa

His films have screened at dozens of festivals, including Sundance, Venice and Locarno, and have won awards at the Berlinale, SXSW and HotDocs, among others. In 2017, he was honoured with the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. In the same year, his feature film Person to Person, starring Michael Cera and Abbi Jacobson, was released by Magnolia Pictures. He is the co-writer of The Mountain, starring Tye Sheridan and Jeff Goldblum, which premiered in competition at the 2018 Venice Film Festival.
Filmography
2011 Family Nightmare; short film 2012 Bad Fever 2013 Declaration of War; short film · Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hofman; short film 2014 Person to Person; short film 2015 God Is an Artist; short film · Review; short film 2016 Dramatic Relationships; short film 2017 Person to Person 2021 Editing; short film 2023 The Adults
Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023