Actor and Writer Ellie Moon has been making a name for herself on Toronto stages for a few years now. She has a few movie and television credits thrown in for good measure. It was only natural that she would eventually find her way onto the big screen in a starring role. But in order to do so she had to write the role for herself.

Moon wrote Adult Adoption, and it follows the story of Rosy (Moon). She’s an oddball who spends most of her time alone and eats Kraft Dinner every evening after coming home from her job. Rosy works, by the way, as a customer service agent in a call center. She has trouble developing meaningful relationships. She can’t connect with co-workers, strangers she meets in the local coffee shop or yoga studio. And worse, she can’t find potential romantic partners.

Rosy is a product of the foster care system, having aged out of it instead of being adopted, and eventually decides to search online for adult adoption services to find the parents she never had. At first it seems like everything will work out fine, and Rosy will find the parents she’s always dreamed of having. But she unfortunately discovers that she can only find fairy tale endings in books. And that what she’s looking for isn’t necessarily what she thought she was.

Adult Adoption takes a little bit of time to grow on you. At first glance it feels a little strange, and you’re not quite sure what you are watching. As the plot moves forward however, Rosy’s quirkiness grows on you. And you start to hope she finds what she is desperately seeking, because you fear for what will happen to her if she doesn’t. Of course this wouldn’t be the case if Moon didn’t play her creation so well.

Moon never once allows herself to influence the character to be something she’s not. She always plays Rosy as if she’s a scarred child who never had the chance to be part of a family. She’s always full of child-like innocence and awe at the world around her. The world Rosy creates for herself starts to crumble due to the realization that she is lonely. But Moon still plays Rosy as an engaging character that is as far from pathetic as you can get. It’s a tricky role to master, but Moon does it perfectly.

The overall plot of the Adult Adoption may seem to be a little odd as well, but it perfectly suits the world Rosy lives in. In a way it helps you to see things through her eyes. There is a lesson to be learned of course. And that’s to open your eyes to the world around you so that you can see when the thing you are searching for is right in front of you. It’s a lesson many of us need to learn, even if we don’t realize it.

While Adult Adoption may not be for everyone, it’s worth giving a try to. It’s an odd little movie, full of charm, and it may just make you look at things a little closer.