Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was also part of this year’s Berlin Film Festival program. The film stars Sebastian Stan (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Apprentice), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), and Adam Pearson (Under the Skin). Written and directed by Schimberg, this psychological drama comedy dives into a range of hefty themes such as identity, obsession, and human vanity.
The story centres around Edward (Stan), a man suffering from neurofibromatosis, a condition that distorts his features with facial tumors. After being offered a miracle cure to his condition, Edward adopts a new identity—”Guy”—and begins a life free from the stigma of his previous appearance. However, his obsession with a theatre production based on his former life and written by a former love interest (Reinsve) pulls him into a psychological downward spiral. Oswald (Adam Pearson), an actor with neurofibromatosis, portrays Edward’s former self in the play, igniting an obsession within Edward, who begins stalking Oswald and blurring the lines between reality and the character.
Schimberg’s film stands out due to its unique blend of black comedy, psychological tension, and fantastical undertones. Unlike traditional stories that handle physical deformity through sentimental lenses, A Different Man flips expectations, inverting clichés around beauty and self-worth. It brings up familiar themes, even referencing Beauty and the Beast, but does so with a cutting cynicism that forces the audience to question their own perceptions. The semi-comedic tone, which plays off the absurdities of vanity and identity, mixes well with the thriller aspects, making the film feel sharp and unsettling without being overly bleak.
Sebastian Stan’s performance is nothing short of brilliant, embodying both Edward’s original timid existence and the more confident, but equally hollow, persona of handsome Guy. His transformation is both physical and psychological, and Stan expertly navigates the complexities of a man trapped between two identities.
The film’s metatextual playfulness—especially when Edward auditions to play himself—adds layers of irony, further heightened by the presence of Adam Pearson as Oswald, who, with his wit and charisma, forces Edward to confront the uncomfortable truth that his problems run far deeper than his appearance.
There’s a strong Woody Allen influence running through the narrative, with the film quoting the iconic director several times, playing into its themes of existential angst and the human tendency to overanalyse. The Allen-esque neuroses fit seamlessly into Schimberg’s narrative of self-loathing and false hope, adding a familiar but cynical undertone to the script.
A Different Man offers a discomfiting yet darkly humorous take on identity and self-worth, wrapped in a thriller format that keeps the audience on edge. With standout performances from Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson, and Schimberg’s mischievous direction, the film is a thought-provoking and entertaining exploration of the human psyche.
A DIFFERENT MAN IS IN CINEMAS FROM FRIDAY OCTOBER 4TH
