A Different Man [Review]
Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man does more than just let Sebastian Stan shine in one of his best performances.
Sebastian Stan. Credit: By Matt Infante. Courtesy of A24
Joining other film classics about face replacement such as Eyes Without a Face, The Face of Another, Face/Off, and The Skin I Live In, writer/director Aaron Schimberg’s dark comedy thriller A Different Man tells a story about identity, representation, and disability that compellingly adds its own spin to the face change conceit.
Edward (Sebastian Stan) is an aspiring actor who has let his neurofibromatosis facial deformity—depicted with excellent make-up work—make him quiet and withdrawn, uncomfortable in his own skin. His friendship with and crush on a new neighbor, playwright Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), inspires him to leap into an experimental medical treatment to reconfigure his face. When the procedure is successful, no one recognizes him, so he sheds his persona to become alter-ego Guy, pretending Edward has committed suicide. When he discovers that Ingrid has written an off-Broadway play based on him, he can’t help but audition. He falls into a crisis when Oswald (Adam Pearson), a man who exudes confidence despite having the same facial deformity Edward shed, enters his life and competes for the role.
(L-R) Adam Pearson, Sebastian Stan. Credit: By Matt Infante. Courtesy of A24.
The film is anchored by Stan and Pearson’s performances, both brilliant. Stan’s transformation and then breakdown over the course of the film required him to flex some serious acting muscles. Pearson is incredibly charming onscreen and shines in this role written specifically for him by Schimberg. Pearson is magnetic, and I hope to see him on the big screen again soon. Schimberg has made another movie with Pearson, Chained for Life (2018), that I haven’t seen but will now need to seek out.
The film’s dark, humorous tone is clear immediately with the opening scene, which shows us Edward’s only role so far—a cringe-inducing PSA about how to behave with disfigured people at work that feels like something out of Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave sketch comedy show. This scene shows how Edward self-consciously sees himself as an object of pity. Edward believes that his looks dictate how he should behave, and when he transforms himself into Guy, his behavior also changes. The movie’s true conflict begins when Oswald appears, whose self-confidence and magnetism make Edward/Guy question his identity. Suddenly, he wants to be his old self again.
(L-R) Renate Reinsve, Sebastian Stan. Credit: By Matt Infante. Courtesy of A24.
Schimberg also non-judgementally examines the conflict in able-bodied people writing a disabled person’s story. Ingrid’s depiction of Edward comes from her own self-centered perceptions and experience, as well as her desire to succeed as a playwright; she pretends that Edward is her invention. Edward is frustrated at the portrayal but can’t reveal his true identity, so he’s powerless. He becomes even more upset when Oswald, who has the same deformity but not the same experience as Edward, replaces him and helps dictate how his story should be told.
I think Schimberg’s work is brilliant here. It took me a long time to digest and consider the film's multifaceted, complex subtext. You could present this same narrative as a drama, melodrama, or romantic comedy. Schimberg’s choice to make a psychological thriller and unflinching dark comedy makes this movie something much more memorable and meaningful.
Adam Pearson. Credit: By Matt Infante. Courtesy of A24.
A24 has struck gold again with A Different Man. I would be surprised if Sebastian Stan or Adam Pearson don’t get some award recognition beyond the film festival accolades Stan has already received. Aaron Schimberg was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Festival, a well-deserved honor. Don’t miss this one.
A Different Man went into wide theatrical release on Friday, October 4, 2024.
