Adapting an original source to the screen has been a common use from the very beginnings of cinema. However, there has been no other film that bends the idea of adaptation than the film Adaptation, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. Based off The New Yorker regular Susan Orlean’s non-fiction book The Orchid Thief, Adaptation is a unique case of cinema and adapted material. The film crosses the boundaries of truth and fiction and meshes the styles of Orlean and Kaufman to create a very intriguing film that will continue to incite debate and discussion on whether the film is an adaptation or an original work.
Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, a New York Times bestseller, told the true story of John Laroche’s legal battles with the State of Florida and the orchid industry. This historically accurate tale spoke of the many passions that Laroche had obtained for a variety of subjects, then simply brushing it off like it never existed.