While adolescence is commonly known as one of the most difficult periods of life, it’s often overlooked that adulthood as a whole can be just as challenging for different reasons. Josh Radnor explores this notion through his thoughtful and refreshing perspective on life in his newest film, Liberal Arts.

Liberal Arts begins by introducing Jesse (Josh Radnor), who is a 35 year-old college admissions counselor in New York City going through a breakup and who is too preoccupied reading books to have an exorbitant social life. When his former and favorite college professor, Peter (Richard Jenkins), calls Jesse and asks him to make a speech at his retirement dinner, Jesse accepts and makes a trip back to his alma mater in Ohio for a weekend. After arriving to campus, Jesse goes out to lunch with Peter and meets Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen), who is a current sophomore, and her two parents who are Peter’s friends. After a fun lunch and a sad retirement dinner, Jesse finds himself wandering through campus at night and meets a “wise man in a red hat,” Nat (Zac Efron). The two of them go “sherlocking” and find themselves at a college party. Coincidentally, they see Zibby at the party, and decide (with Nat’s help) to meet up for coffee the next morning.

After a coffee date and a walk through campus, Jesse and a very hungover Zibby agree to exchange hand-written letters after Jesse returns to New York. Through these letters, the two develop a naively romantic and intense relationship (mainly discussing classical music), and Jesse begins to struggle to understand what it means to be an adult 13 years out of college. The the beautifully written latter two-thirds of the film are non-formulaic and will make the viewer yearn for the excitement and learning environment only found on a college campus.

Radnor, who wrote, directed, and stars in the film, uses a refreshing humanist approach not commonly found in modern movies. For anyone who has graduated from college and is now an adult in the “real world” – regardless if it was a Liberal Arts college or not – this thoughtful movie will force the viewer to be introspective about their age and what it means to grow older through adulthood.

Inspired by a trip back to his own alma mater, Kenyon College, Liberal Arts focuses on coming-of-age through various relationships Jesse has with older and younger characters portrayed by a superior cast. Jenkins’ character is retiring after 37 years of college teaching and attempts to rescind his retirements plans because he’s too afraid of the world beyond what he’s been comfortable with for nearly four decades. Jesse also comes into contact with another former and favorite professor, Professor Judith Fairfield (Allison Janney), who, surprisingly to Jesse, is actually a bitter lady who has come to believe that the world is full of disappointment. Jesse also learns about himself through his unintended guidance with three college students, Zibby, Nat, and Dean (John Magaro). While Jesse may still feel like a college student, he comes to the reality that he is a 35-year-old adult and mentors the three students to not act older than their age and rush through life.

Liberal Arts provides a thoughtful view on adulthood and explores the notion that every person is equally lost on how to live life, and iterates that transitions are difficult to experience whether you’re 19-years old or about to retire.  However, Radnor portrays that the slow process of growing old is not as scary as it may seem once you realize that no one really knows what they’re doing. As Richard Jenkins very accurately states in the movie, “Nobody feels like an adult. That’s the world’s dirty secret.”

Grade: A-

No MPAA rating.

Liberal Arts opens on September 21, 2012.