
I first saw Adaptation when it came out in December 2002, and it really stuck with me. It’s a fascinating film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, and it feels incredibly personal. It basically shows what Charlie went through trying to turn a non-fiction book, The Orchid Thief, into a movie. Nicolas Cage plays Charlie, a writer who’s really struggling with self-doubt and just can’t seem to get the script right. What’s really clever is that the movie introduces a fictional twin brother for Charlie, also played by Cage. This Donald Kaufman is everything Charlie isn’t – confident, a bit simple, and able to churn out those predictable Hollywood hits that Charlie hates. It’s a really unique and self-aware film.