When the last words from the dying family matriarch are criticism about your body, it’s understandable that it would cause some psychological damage. Unfortunately for Adam, due to his abnormally large size, he is used to being shamed, bullied, and made fun of. Yes, Grandma and her uncalled-for commentary may be gone, but Adam’s insecurities remain front and center. Director Joël Vaudreuil crafts a heartfelt story about the pain and awkwardness of adolescence in his feature-length animated film When Adam Changes (Adam Change Lentement).

Adam is a boy of few words. Since childhood, he always stood out as the “fat” one, or the “slow” one, with many of the verbal quips coming from his own Grandmother. His home life is far from ideal but it thrives in comparison to his school life, where he is the target of constant body shaming by a rowdy group of teenagers. Despite being nearly twice the size of his bullies, Adam’s self-confidence is non-existent. He quietly accepts his classmates’ torture, which only adds to his depression and feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Using deadpan humor to talk about sensitive topics, When Adam Changes is a powerfully competent and creative feature debut by Joël Vaudreuil.

Adam is faced with a strange, singular condition: his body uncontrollably morphs and changes based on the negativity that surrounds him. If his weight is mocked, he gets bigger. If his curved spine is pointed out, his humpback becomes more prominent. Adam’s body–quite literally–absorbs the hate, making him an amalgamation of all of the terrible things said. His outlet is watching action movies with a brute, Arnold Schwarzenegger-like protagonist. When the time comes to finally channel that confidence and confess his feelings to his schoolmate crush, Adam realizes that his physical appearance isn’t the only difference between his bullies and himself. Adam is pure-hearted, a good kid with good intentions, while the majority of his classmates are truly rotten to the core. Not everyone refuses Adam’s friendship, and those few people are the ones who allow him to feel worthy of love.

Using deadpan humor to talk about sensitive topics, When Adam Changes is a powerfully competent and creative feature debut by Joël Vaudreuil. The sincerity of the script illuminates Adam’s sad reality, all we want to do is reach through the screen and give him a big hug. Drawn with such attention to detail, the minimalist animation style is engaging and impressive. The film’s pace is slow and deliberate, however, my biggest critique would be that it takes too long for Adam to reach his arc. We are well over an hour into the film before he reaches a turning point, which felt very overdue by the time it actually happened.

When Adam Changes is a powerful feature debut in both execution and impact. Not only is it an entertaining watch but perhaps more importantly, it leaves us with one very poignant reminder: complimentary differences can result in strong friendships.