Atom Egoyan’s 2008 film Adoration follows a half-Arab teenager who weaves a fictional story about his father orchestrating a terrorist attack, causing a stir within his suburban community. Adapting it would be a difficult task in any case—not just because of the weighty subject matter, but because the plot is rather convoluted, involving a meddling drama teacher with her own secret history. Alas, REDCAT’s spin on the film, a live theatrical performance presented in collaboration with the LA Opera and cosigned by Egoyan (but developed without his assistance), has only made it harder to follow along with the drama—or delve into the characters’ motives. Segments of the teen’s classmates video-chatting about his claims appear more contrived and less naturalistic in the theater than they do onscreen. The moments that did move me stood out not so much as interpretations of the source material but as gestures toward the themes of voyeurism and performance that preoccupy Egoyan’s rich filmography as a whole: during flashback scenes, Simon lingers on the verge of his parents’ interactions, occasionally nudging them into place as if to direct them; memories are often described through a secondary party’s perspective (“I watched you watching her”).