The Mystery Behind Blake Lively’s Ageless Character in The Age of Adaline

The concept of aging, or rather the absence of it, plays a pivotal role in The Age of Adaline. The protagonist, Adaline Bowman, born at the dawn of the 20th century, finds herself mysteriously youthful in the early 21st century, having ceased to age several decades prior in Lee Toland Krieger’s 2015 romantic fantasy film.

As narrated by Hugh Ross, Adaline’s remarkable condition stems from a peculiar event that transpired in 1937, characterized as “something almost magical.”His commentary highlights that throughout her lifetime, “there was absolutely no scientific explanation” for her unusual state. If the film had solely relied on this narrative, it could have allowed viewers to fill in the gaps. However, the creators opted for a comprehensive scientific theory to explain her condition.

Adaline’s Transformation: The Lightning Strike Incident

A Shocking Turn of Events

The film’s narrative unfolds through an elaborate six-and-a-half minutes of voiceover provided by Ross, who details the scientific backdrop to Adaline’s extraordinary fate one December evening in Sonoma County, California. Adaline’s life takes a drastic turn when she loses control of her vehicle during a snowstorm, leading to a harrowing car accident that should have claimed her life.

Upon crashing into a freezing body of water, Adaline’s heart stops, marking what should be her end. However, a lightning bolt strikes her submerged car, delivering “half a billion volts of electricity” through her body. This electrical surge acts as a natural defibrillator, reviving her and setting off an unprecedented chain reaction. Remarkably, it halts her cellular aging process as well, the natural decline in the body’s ability to repair and regenerate cells. This surreal occurrence is explained in the film through a fictional scientific premise dubbed “Von Lehman’s principle of electron compression and deoxyribonucleic acid.”

The Age of Adaline: Her Real Age Revealed

An Illusion of Youth

According to the film’s narration, Adaline was born on New Year’s Day in 1908, making her less than a month away from her 30th birthday at the time of her accident. Frozen in time, she forever retains the appearance and vitality of a 29-year-old woman. Initially, her youthful façade goes unnoticed. However, as she turns 45, her circumstances change—old friends react in surprise at how she appears younger than her own daughter, prompting doubts regarding her age among authorities.

Despite her youthful appearance, Adaline lives through a century, reaching the age of 108 during the film. Although her external appearance remains unaffected until 2015, when she finally begins to show signs of aging again, the passage of 78 years occurs while she seemingly defies the ravages of time.

The Resumption of Aging: A Fateful Conclusion

A Second Shock to Restore Normalcy

Since Adaline’s inability to age was precipitated by a powerful electrical surge, it is only fitting that a similar event initiates her return to normal aging. Ironically, another car accident triggers a subsequent electrical shock as paramedics utilize defibrillation when her heart ceases to function.

This restoration of the aging process is portrayed through more pseudo-scientific exposition, bookending the film’s narrative. As Ross explains, “The instant Adaline’s heart was struck by the defibrillator paddles, the telomere structures in her genes regained their pliability.”With her genes resuming their natural functions, cellular repair and regeneration enter a decline, prompting Adaline to age for the first time in 78 years.

In the final scenes of The Age of Adaline, she catches sight of a gray hair in the mirror, plucking it out with a sense of relief dominating her feelings. At last, Adaline is poised to embrace a life of normalcy, leaving behind the burden of her former immortality.

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