- Date of Release: 20 September 2024
- Genre: Comedy, Thriller
- Language: English
- Watch On: MAMI Film Festival
A Different Man
Introduction
It is difficult to separate A Different Man from The Substance. Both film originate from the same tangle of human emotions emerging out of conditioning and the will for transformation. Yet tonally, both are different films with varied moods to accompany the narrative. While The Substance delves into the deep end of the body-horror genre, A Different Man barely scrapes it, often resorting to black comedy to fuel the narrative. As a result, Edward, the protagonist suffering from a heavy facial disfigurement is hardly shown to be a martyr, although the relevance of being an outcast is most definitely prevalent even with the welcome that he gets from the people around him. Edward is an actor, typecast in a very specific genre that utilizes his disorder to the tilt even while providing him very little scope to branch out. He is almost showcased to be a loner just like Arthur from Joker, although the viewers are made to believe that Edward isn’t a victim of his reality, in fact his low self-esteem suggests that he has resorted to his fate (also represented through a near-collapsing ceiling in his apartment that is reflective of his psyche).
Story & Screenplay
One of the fascinating aspects of A Different Man lies with the characterization of characters around Edward. The first conflict of self-esteem is triggered in the psyche of Edward when he is acquainted to his beautiful and bubbly next door neighbour Ingrid, who after an initial spell of shock starts to warm up to him. The layered characterization of Ingrid does lay from an aspiration of being a playwright, something that she relates with Edward given that he is an actor. And her aspiration may well have hit a writer’s block before she met Edward, given how her moderately selfish trait on penning her chronicles with Edward into a play takes centerstage for her. This may have been a trigger for Edward too, who develops feelings for Ingrid with a hint that she may have feelings for him too, something that makes him reluctantly agree to remove the ‘unsaid’ barrier of their budding relationship (his disfigured face) by opting to undergo an experimental medical procedure. Ofcourse, it had also to do with the perception that Edward believed that people had for him.
The meta-reference of the film steadily kicks in given that Edward essayed by Sebastian Stan soon transforms into well….Sebastian Stan faced Guy (he names himself Guy) while putting his previous identity to rest, both literally and figuratively. Guy is a different man, with a face as clean as ever which naturally gets him a lot of female attention, even as he opts to audition for the play written by Ingrid who is oblivious of his medical procedure, gazing him as a different man too. The role based on the life of Edward, for which “Edward” was the ideal candidate, has Guy at the center of it, both unwittingly so given his situation, even as he begins a secret affair with Ingrid who is attracted to the idea of him being Edward (when Guy opts to put up a mask featuring his previously disfigured face). In a hilarious scene, you see Ingrid requesting Guy to put on his mask even while they make love, because it turns her on!
The proceedings are interesting and continue to be on the ascendancy when the stakes in the drama are raised with the introduction of Oswald, another character that suffers from facial disfigurement (like Edward previously), who not only acts as a third wheel in his equation with Ingrid but slowly starts widening the gap between Guy and Ingrid. Oswald is a charmer, largely unaffected by his condition, and much contrary to the victim that Edward thought himself to be, loves being nice to folks around him. This was a dichotomy of sorts for Guy who always believed that looks are the most important thing for a human (much like Elizabeth in The Substance), and it hardly was a surprise given that he was an actor (again much like Elizabeth in The Substance). But in a constrasting tonality that unfolds like a black comedy, the life of Guy hilariously begins to crumble with the lesser looking Oswald taking over his role and his girlfriend in the process. The writers absolutely run riot in the final act that also doubles up as a commentary for Guy who is slowly struggling to find his identity and returning to his old-self while having lost everything in life. The screenplay is outstanding and wonderfully highlights the unsaid sentiments.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are laced with elements of black comedy that never really allow the drama to venture into a brooding space. The tone is consistently playful and comedic that was genre-bending in many ways, mostly contributed through the lines and the BGM that enhances the impact of many scenes. The cinematography captures the ‘horror’ elements in the drama without treating them as a horror. In fact, the natural progression of Edward to Guy seemed organic because of the grounded frames that never allowed an iota of tension to seep into the drama. The editing is crisp and sharp with amazing transition shots that effortlessly maintain the continuity in the drama, both with respect to the tone and the mood of the drama that is built up. Director Aaron Schimberg wonderfully explores the psyche of the protagonist without allowing the viewers to sympathize with his condition (initially). It was strictly through the character traits of his actors that the drama unfolds, and he showcases immense amount of control in not allowing the drama to slip away. The direction was excellent here.
Performances
The performances are excellent here. Adam Pearson as Oswald is genuinely charming and quite an affable character and does a wonderful job here (at the cost of Guy, lol). Renate Reinsve as Ingrid looks just so pretty that I was willing to letgo the ‘selfish’ nature of her character. But on a serious note, Renate is phenomenal with a towering personality that often commands your attention. She is terrific to witness here while addressing her conflicting sentiments in s rather coherent manner. Sebastian Stan can also do no wrong. If he was excellent as Trump in The Apprentice, he is even better here as Guy/Edward, often resorting to his set of emotions with a dash of humour. He does wonderfully well in showcasing his vulnerability in a character that wasn’t very likeable, thereby making for a performance to cherish.
Conclusion
As a part of our MAMI coverage, A Different Man is a trippy commentary on human conditioning packaged in a genre-bending black comedy on identity-crisis. This drama comes with my highest recommendation!
