Adaptation (2017)

Charlie Kaufman's twisty 2002 comedy-drama "Adaptation" turns the agony of screenwriting into a strange, self-referential meditation on obsession and identity, blending real orchid-thief journalism with pure invention. Meryl Streep appears as journalist Susan Orlean, delivering a performance that swings between buttoned-up curiosity and unexpected abandon as her character's fixations take a wilder turn. One scene on this page captures that shift in a surprisingly bare, vulnerable light, offering a glimpse of Streep stripped of her usual composure. For fans who know her mostly from prestige dramas, it's a rare and telling piece of footage.