The Double (2013)

The Double: Directed by Richard Ayoade. With Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Yasmin Paige. A clerk in a government agency finds his unenviable life takes a turn for the horrific with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite – confident, charismatic and seductive with women.

“u0026quot;Look at me, look at him. He stole my face.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI donu0026#39;t know why this film didnu0026#39;t engage me as it has most people, but there was just something about it and its characters that simply alienated me. The Double is Richard Ayoadeu0026#39;s follow up to Submarine, and it feels heavily influenced by other works, especially from directors like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam. It is actually an adaptation of an 1800u0026#39;s novella written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Ayoade adapted it with a unique and clever style. There is a lot of dark humor involved and it also has a philosophical undertone. Despite being influenced by all these works, the film still feels unique and innovative, but it just didnu0026#39;t resonate with me. Iu0026#39;m just not a big fan of these surreal films that donu0026#39;t follow a classical narrative style, and The Double is just that, it plays out as a sort of nightmare for the main character played by Jesse Eisenberg. Itu0026#39;s a case where I felt the film was more about style and aesthetics than substance and content. I prefer Villeneuveu0026#39;s Enemy, which is also a film dealing with a doppleganger premise, over this bleak film. There is no doubt that The Double is a creepy film, but one that didnu0026#39;t work for me and one I donu0026#39;t plan on revisiting because like the main character in The Double I felt completely alienated in this dystopian world.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film introduces us to Simon (Jesse Eisenberg), a timid and shy young man who seems to live his life unperceived by everyone else. Simon always tries to please those around him and is very submissive despite everyoneu0026#39;s indifference towards him. Heu0026#39;s been working at a government agency for the past 7 years, and despite having some great ideas, no one ever pays attention to him. He is in love with one of his coworkers, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), who he is too shy to speak to. He always looks for an excuse to visit her at the printing room, but he never finds the courage to ask her out. She is also kind of a lonely and strange girl herself, and Simon often finds himself watching her through a telescope from his apartment. Simonu0026#39;s life turns around when one day his boss, Mr. Papadopoulos (Wallace Shawn), introduces a new coworker named James who is physically identical to him, but with a complete opposite personality. Everyone likes James, and no one even seems to notice he looks exactly like Simon because they donu0026#39;t even conceive of his existence. James is so outgoing he has no trouble getting his bossu0026#39;s attention and seducing women. James befriends Simon but ends up using his ideas to impress Mr. Papadopoulos and seduce Hannah. All of Simonu0026#39;s dreams and hopes are shattered by James who is taking over everything heu0026#39;s passionate about, but was always afraid to take a stand for. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe premise seems interesting, but the way it was presented is what didnu0026#39;t work for me. Ayoade created such a unique dystopian and bleak world that it made me feel dull and alienated. I didnu0026#39;t really care for the characters in this film, despite the wonderful dual performance from Jesse Eisenberg. He once again proves heu0026#39;s a talented actor and carries this film. Mia Wasikowska is also wonderful and plays alongside Eisenberg really well. The performances were strong, I had no problem with them, but what I didnu0026#39;t enjoy were the characters they were playing and the way the film was narrated. The film tries to explore our senses, but all it did for me was make me feel indifferent towards it the same way Simonu0026#39;s coworkers felt towards him. Itu0026#39;s a quirky film with a lot of quirky sounds and musical score that just didnu0026#39;t work for me the same way it did for most audiences.”