The newest film from Denis Villeneuve, director of last year's Prisoners and 2010's Incendies is a gem of a thriller called Enemy. It feels as if David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock all got together and made one Frankenstein's monster of a film. In other words...it's phenomenal. This is by far the most intense film in recent memory. It is a film where you can literally not take your eyes off the screen because you're so intrigued to find out what happens next and what the entire premise means. Let me say that this is not a film that will be to everyone's liking. It is a grimy looking picture that is creepy in a way that is both extremely subtle and completely unsettling. Also...the ending, while being incredibly freaky, does not actually provide any answers to the mysteries that Villeneuve and screenwriter Javier Gullon put forward. I, for one, loved the ending not only because I enjoyed having to interpret what it could possibly mean but because I appreciate that there are still directors and screenwriters who have enough guts to alienate most of their audience at the last second.
Based on Jose Saramago's novel "The Double," the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam, a socially awkward, isolated college professor whose co-worker recommends a film. Adam watches the film and soon becomes obsessed with an actor in the film who looks shockingly like him. That guy ends up being an overly confident, low level actor named Anthony. Going beyond this plot point would be given way too much away. This is the type of film that is reliant on the premise being seemingly limited and thus shocking the audience at what it brings to the table.
For anyone who doesn't already think that Gyllenhaal is a terrific actor, you'l be proven wrong here. It's always hard to play two different people with completely contradicting personalities. Here, however, the events that take place in the film make having to pull it off that much harder. Gyllenhaal masters both characters with pitch perfect accuracy and shows just how versatile he is. His performance also significantly adds to the level of creepiness at hand. He's so convincing in both personalities that he gives the audience a fear of what one might end up doing and vice versa. Other performers such as Melanie Laurent and Sarah Godan as Adam's girlfriend and Anthony's pregnant wife, respectively and Isabella Rossellini as the mother of one of them add a lot to the film even when not given much to do. This is Gyllenhaal's film all the way, however.
Not only does this film prove Gyllenhaal as one of the best actors working today but it also proves Villeneuve as one of the best directors out there (if Prisoners and/or Incendies didn't already prove that to people.) Enemy is a breathtakingly great film that should be dug out by anyone who wants to see an effectively creepy thriller that's not afraid to get down and dirty.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language)
No comments:
Post a Comment