After working with him on 2018’s Chained for Life, writer/director Aaron Schimberg seems to have found a muse in actor Adam Pearson. Pearson is probably best known as “The Deformed Man” who attempted to escape from Scarlett Johannson in Jonathan Glazer’s surreal 2013 sci-fi film Under the Skin, but Schimberg has found a way to give the unique actor meatier roles. And that’s exactly what he does with A Different Man.
A Different Man is about a struggling actor named Edward (Sebastian Stan from Captain America: The Winter Soldier) who is inflicted with neurofibromatosis, a condition which has resulted in deformations on his head and face. He discovers that he is a candidate for an experimental treatment, and the results are miraculous. To go along with his new face, he decides to change his entire identity, becoming “a different man” named Guy.
Meanwhile, his neighbor, an aspiring playwright named Ingrid (Renate Reinsve from The Worst Person in the World), misses him when he unexpectedly disappears from her life and writes a play in which the old Edward is the main character. Guy auditions for the part, unrecognized by Ingrid with his new face and name. But his biggest competition for the role is another actor with the same condition named Oswald (Pearson) who may be a better Edward than Edward ever was.
A Different Man is a quirky little movie that’s hard to pin down. It’s equal parts black comedy, intellectual drama, and psychological horror. The little bursts of humor are only rivaled by the sporadic shocks in an otherwise serious film. It’s powerful and thoughtful filmmaking that does go off the rails a bit at the end, but that’s the point. It takes the viewer on a journey that isn’t always pleasant but feels necessary, and as it gets deeper into its story, it drifts farther and farther away from reality.
One interesting facet of A Different Man is the use of makeup prosthetics to make Sebastian Stan look like the early Edward. Of course, this is done to facilitate the “handsome” face he gains after his medical procedure, but it does bring up the question: is Pearson (and by extent his real condition) being exploited by being included in the movie? There’s a particularly well-written scene that addresses that concept, ostensibly talking about Ingrid’s play, but could just as easily be applied to Schimberg’s movie as well. There’s a thin line between representation and exploitation in this case, and Schimberg’s treatment leans towards the former.
Which brings us to Pearson’s performance. While Pearson’s neurofibromatosis plays into his character of Oswald, the condition doesn’t define him like Edward’s does. Rather than being seen as an oddity like he has been in other roles, Pearson brings real life and spark to Oswald. Aided by Schimberg’s writing, Pearson’s portrayal makes Oswald human, and, quite frankly, turns him into the only redeemable character in the film.
That’s really the crux of the movie. In trying to better his life, Edward becomes the villain when he turns into Guy. Oswald is the hero that Edward wishes he could have been before his procedure. There’s some jealousy there, and not just because Oswald seems to get everything Edward wants. Oswald is intelligent, charming, talented, and sophisticated. Oswald is an admirable character, while Edward is not. Oswald is everything Edward is not. And Edward hates that.
Although it’s hardly a feelgood story, A Different Man isn’t a tearjerker, either. It’s a character study of two men who are complete opposites despite sharing many of the same traits, interests, and desires. It’s grotesquely funny in places, to the extent where the audience often wonders if it’s acceptable to laugh, and it has more than a few jolts that seem to exist solely to make the viewer uncomfortable, but mostly, it’s a movie that will make you think. And that’s a good discomfort, the kind that keeps going long after you’ve left the theater.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for some violent content, graphic nudity, sexual content, and language
Release Date: September 20, 2024 Limited
Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes
Studio: A24
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