‘Oh my friend, you haven’t changed a bit...’
While it’s always exciting to watch a film that is unique, it’s also nice to have some likeable characters to root for. Just one will do. A Different Man has lots of interesting things to say about what it means to be attractive, or to be unattractive, and writer-director Aaron Schimberg and his talented cast have a ball telling this story, but ultimately, I needed something more to cling to…
Edward Lemuel (Sebastian Stan) is a struggling actor with neurofibromatosis who falls for his new neighbour, aspiring playwright Ingrid (Renate Reinsve). When a miracle drug promises to ‘fix’ Edward’s considerable facial disfigurement, it seems his life is on the up, particularly when he is cast in Ingrid’s latest play. Things take a turn for the Kafka, however, when Oswald (Adam Pearson) shows up – another aspiring actor with a facial disfigurement.
A Different Man recalls the work of Yorgos Lanthimos in the way that its characters are duplicitous and off-putting. The film is well acted but for me, many of the scenes aren’t as interesting as they ought to be with such an excellent premise and in the end the film gets bogged down in plot and message eventually failing to say anything much of note. This is the kind of film that certainly has interesting moments but it’s hard to love and I can’t imagine many people choosing to watch A Different Man more than once.
This is the kind of arty, intelligent movie that some people will love but which I invariably struggle with. Lanthimos’ work has enough dark humour and pathos to make the more bizarre moments more palatable. Stripped of those two elements, A Different Man never really takes off in the way it should.
