MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY FILM INQUIRER

By Simran Shroff

When you enter the movie theatre, you probably won’t know what to expect from this genre-blending film from Aaron Schimberg. Set in a dark and dingy modern-day New York City neighbourhood, A Different Man explores the genres of romance, mystery, thriller and more – but what it scores top points in is mostly the bizarre department.

The film opens with our protagonist Edward (played by Sebastian Stan), an aspiring actor afflicted with neurofibromatosis (a genetic condition in which non-cancerous tumours grow on nerve tissue and often present externally), going about his daily life, where he encounters pretty nasty comments, unsolicited stares and even a few shrieks. As the audience, we can see that Edward has no faith left in himself. His hunch: so intense it symbolises the weight of societal atrocities he carries within himself. His meals: uninspired and uninteresting. His apartment: ruthlessly decorated and insanely problematic – with a gaping hole in the roof replicating the condition of Edward’s life – and one massive infestation away from falling apart.

Throughout this montage of his very mundane life, you almost feel bad for him. And then, you feel like a terrible person for feeling bad for him because of his condition. Only to move forward and realise… maybe you weren’t the terrible person you thought you were all along.

As we watch on, we see 21st-century medical specialists approach Edward to be a part of a drug trial that’s been developed to cure his neurofibromatosis, promising to transform him into a conventionally handsome man, a reality Edward could only dream of before. At first, Edward is reluctant to receive the treatment, until the inciting incident of the film’s plot and potentially the love of his life, Ingrid (played by The Worst Person in the World’s Renate Reinsve), enters the scene with her quintessential pretty girl charisma, bubbly personality and inquisitive nature, as Edward’s newest neighbour. She takes genuine interest in Edward’s life – going through his childhood photos, helping him with first aid, leaving him chocolates, and lurking around his prized typewriter. However, Edward – and the audience – won’t be fooled, right? Thanks to her fleeting affairs, we know that Ingrid probably won’t fall for Edward for more than a moment with his current condition.

Continually in search of touch, affection and someone to dance with on the streets of New York, Edward is yearning for love – a yearning that grows stronger with every passing day he spends around Ingrid. This yearning pushes him to finally accept the drug trial – mainly because he feels that Ingrid will only love him if he’s as handsome as the Guy you see on TV sets, on billboards, on Real Estate ads. So, in a freakish way, his old face quite literally starts falling off, and both his mental and physical wounds heal magically only to kill Edward, the shy and inferior man, and give birth to Guy, the handsome hunk who’s a certified heartbreaker and work-goal-crusher. Several years pass and Guy has everything Edward could have asked for – a flock of girls attracted to him, a successful career in real estate (that is mainly due to his good looks) and a brand new wardrobe. Until he crosses paths with Ingrid again. And she is now directing a play inspired by Edward. So, he gets his shot, she starts an affair with him, only to break his heart and end up with someone Edward thought she could never end up with. Another man afflicted with neurofibromatosis – only someone who has a way better personality than both Guy and Edward. ^{[Highlight black bars to reveal spoilers]}

A Different Man, through its many eccentric characters and original perspective takes you on a journey of self-discovery. Is being good looking the solution to everything? Does what you possess on the outside matter more than what you possess on the inside? Edward, in fact, was self-conscious and selfish to begin with. You feel bad for the guy because, as the attentive audience, we feel that everyone is ignoring him because of his condition. But when we meet his foil Oswald (played by Adam Pearson, who does have neurofibromatosis in real life) and he turns out to be the life of every party and the ruler of every heart he has the chance to touch, you realise that Edward’s problem wasn’t truly his condition, but his approach to life and the person he was on the inside. Maybe Ingrid would’ve fallen in love with him for who he was if he’d just been less insecure. Maybe he was too quick to judge other people based on what clichés society has to offer. Maybe he didn’t give himself a chance because he didn’t have faith in the world around him. Maybe his bitterness took over the kindness the world does have to offer. Maybe he just needed to be a better person first, before he embarked on the trip to becoming a better looker.

While the film leaves you with many pending questions, its tools of execution have a fair share of both hits and misses. At times, I felt like I’d been teleported into a movie that was collaboratively created by two opposite ends of the filmmaking spectrum – Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino. In terms of visual style and the romance, you get hints of Allen’s dramedic process, while in bizarre scenes of casual murder, broken fingers flying and a roof falling over our protagonist’s head, we get a little taste of Tarantino’s very unique, pulpy style. Regardless, every tool that is used successfully moves the plot forward, making this movie’s editing a total masterpiece.

What truly made the viewing experience incredible was how smooth the film is. It’s paced beautifully, not leaving any room for the audience to wander off. The actors are great too, especially Sebastian Stan, who depicts the complexities of both Edward and Guy in a flawless manner, mastering his body language and dialogue delivery, as well as having fantastic comic timing.

Through the course of the film, writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s aim seems to be to put the audience in a constant state of perplexion. With every aspect – be it Edward’s costumes, panning from worn-out flannel shirts and unbelievably high-waist trousers to street-style sneakers and cool tees, the ’90s-inspired camera angles double-zooming on satirical reactions of shock and disbelief, the interactions between the core characters, the sharp, unexpected lines, or the inclusion of a number of guest characters – audiences should find themselves second-guessing what they know and what they assume. Which adds to the larger theme of the movie and our lives – do we truly know someone like we think we know them, or have they been hiding behind another face all along, as A Different Man?

P.S. On an added note, this film, apart from being a brilliantly executed satire, pays homage to the independent filmmaking scene in New York City by casting the who’s who of its independent artists, as well as including them in major production positions. They’ve successfully put their crafts mastered in the city at the forefront via the medium of a globally-recognised film.

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A Different Man recently screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival aka MIFF, and will receive a wide theatrical release in Australia beginning October 24th. Interested in writing a review of anything in exchange for a free ticket? Just fill out this form or send us an email at unimelbfilmsoc@gmail.com. For more info on MIFF, including how to become an Under 26 Member for $25 and get access to complimentary year-round preview screenings, head to the MIFF site here.