In Being John Malcovich, scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman takes us on a fictional trip through a mysterious portal into someone's brain. In Adaptation he takes us on a somewhat less fictional trip into a brain -- his own.

Adaptation is the story of Kaufman's attempt to adapt Susan Orlean's book, The Orchid Thief, into a screenplay. The book is a non-fiction book about flowers and the people who obsess over them. There really isn't a plot, which is pretty much a requirement for a successful film.

Usually, such books are transformed into some sort of high concept film with a love story, or adventure story that really wasn't part of the book. Charlie doesn't want to do that. He wants to remain true to the book. But how can you do that and still create a screenplay that will be acceptable to the studio?

There are portions of the book that make it into the film, but basically, the film is Charlie's struggle and an examination of the creative process. The credits on the film show the screenplay by Charlie and Donald Kaufman. As the story progresses, we meet Charlie's twin brother Donald, who has decided that he will also become a screenwriter. The truth of the matter is that there is no Donald Kaufman; he is a fictional character. He allows Charlie to show us two sides of himself, the one that wants to be an artist, and the one who wants to have success. But the interplay between Charlie and Donald allows Charlie to critique and ridicule all the clichéd devices that are so often used: voice-overs, multiple personalities, deus ex machina, sex and violence, dreams. (Everything he ridicules ends up in the movie -- which represents Donald's contribution to the script.)

I was surprised at how much I identified with Charlie's struggle. It wasn't just that he had a bit of writer's block. He was struggling with his own understanding of his worth and ability. He wanted to do quality work, but often something popular is what is wanted.

From the beginning as he wonders why he accepted to this job, I knew I'd been there -- almost every Monday morning when I begin work on Sunday's sermon. Why did I pick this scripture? How do I stay true to the writer's idea and adapt it to today and this congregation? Can I jazz it up to make it exciting? Where will I start and where do I want to go? Like Charlie, I almost always think I'm going to fail this time. It is almost always a struggle to give birth to something that requires creativity.

While the film is great fun, the trip into Charlie's being isn't always comfortable. There is almost a sense of self-loathing in his struggle. It is difficult to watch his shyness block his happiness. It is difficult to watch as he is nearly paralyzed by his fears.

But the film is not just about adapting a book; it is about the adaptations that we make in our struggles. Just as in nature flowers adapt to new environments (see The Orchid Thief), we adapt in our lives as we face and conquer the many things and people who come into our lives. It is called growth. And when that growth involves learning to love or to overcome suffering and hardship, it is a spiritual matter. Charlie begins his own adaptation in the process of writing this film. Perhaps it will aid us all in our adapting to what lies before us in our lives.