A One Mann’s Movies review of “A Different Man” (2024).
A double-Stan month for me. I have, of course, enjoyed seeing him rip into the ‘Orange Peril in the West’ (Trump) in “The Apprentice“. But here he appears in a very different film. But it’s one with certain similarities: for it’s a tale of appearance over substance and of ego’s bruised.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“A Different Man” Plot Summary:
Edward (Sebastian Stan) suffers from type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1), a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. Struggling to gain serious recognition both as an actor and a human being, his facial disfigurements sap his confidence. But help is on hand through a revolutionary treatment that can completely ‘cure’ him. But every silver lining for Edward has a cloud.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong sex, nudity, language, gore, violence”).
Talent:
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, Renate Reinsve, Miles G. Jackson.
Directed by: Aaron Schimberg.
Written by: Aaron Schimberg.
Running Time: 1h 52m.
“A Different Man” Summary:
Positives:
- Engaging comedic drama with some telling points about self-perception and attractiveness.
- Excellent acting from Sebastian Stan; Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve.
- A fabulous noir-ish score.
Negatives:
- I wasn’t mad about the ending which felt like it didn’t know where it wanted to go.
Review of “A Different Man”:
In the realm of science fantasy.
There is, of course, no cure for neurofibromatosis which must make this film a bit painful to watch for sufferers of the disease (like Adam Pearson, of course). But both the drama and the comedy arise from the idea that there is. Edward (Sebastian Stan) gets to live his life dodging the stares and jeers of the public. The man in apartment 4B always brushes past him muttering “Jesus Christ” under his breath. This severely impacts on his self-confidence: his building manager describes him as a “Young nervous Woody Allen”!
His friendship with his gorgeous neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) goes nowhere thanks to his insecurities: despite her acceptance of him, he can’t bear to let her touch his face.
But when he emerges from his skin like some sort of xenomorph (a really quite revolting body-horror scene) he becomes the pin-up of the estate agent (realtor) where he works and has woman rushing to his bed.
The ultimate irony
The irony is that Edward (now as an unrecognisable “Guy” but wearing his pre-treatment mask) auditions for the play – “Edward” – that Ingrid has written ABOUT him. Head spinning yet? Ingrid is of course very struck by the performance of ‘Guy’: “it was strangely affecting” she says. “It was like seeing my own creation come to life”.
All seems to be going Edward/Guy’s way. We are into the second half of the film when Oswald (Adam Pearson), as a real NF1 sufferer, turns up and proves to be brilliant at everything he does with the self-confidence to match!
Hair and Make-up Oscar?
The make-up of Edward is really very impressive and makes me wonder if this might get an Oscar nomination for the team involved.
Fabulous ensemble acting.
I must admit that before this month I’d pretty much had Sebastian Stan typecast as Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier from the “Avengers” films. But with his portrayal of Trump in “The Apprentice” and now his astonishing job as Edward he has seriously gone up in my estimation.
Adam Pearson is also great, probably having a whale of a time in portraying the massively popular and woman-attracting Oswald.
Rounding out the trio is Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve (from “The Worst Person in the World” which I have STILL to watch). Reinsve is absolutely gorgeous in this and you can fully understand why Edward is immediately struck dumb while in her presence… I would be! It’s a great performance, particularly the theatre audition reactions.
A really interesting score
I was also struck by the score for this one composed by Umberto Smerilli, a new name for me. Smerilli’s earworm theme had me whistling it while leaving the screen and brought to mind (for some reason) some of Bernard Herrmann’s scores for Hitchcock. It’s really noirish, interspersed with some more atonal jazz elements. Really interesting.
Permission to circle the airport again please.
I was firmly in 4-star territory on this film until the ending where it ran out of ideas… or rather, it had too many ideas. There is a dramatic fall from grace in the last reel; a shocking act of violence; and a basketball to the head! The screen fades to black. All very “Joker: Folie á Deux“. Great I thought! (Packs notebook into bag; prepares to leave.) But then we start up again with additional “years later” scenes. These didn’t particularly add anything and just diluted for me the goodwill the film had built up. My message to Aaron Schimberg: know when to quit while you’re ahead mate!
Another scene which didn’t really ring true was a sex scene between Ingrid and ‘Guy’. Mid-copulation, Ingrid asks ‘Guy’ to go and put on the ‘Edward mask’, which he does. Now, with the mask on I expected Ingrid to really get into it and have a massive orgasm. But instead, within a few seconds of getting it on again she giggles and says “This is ridiculous”. It’s almost like it is a blooper that the director chose to leave in. But it didn’t sit well with me in the context of the plot.
Beauty and the Beast – an analogy made in the film. Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan. (Source: A24)
Triggers
There is a theme of suicide within the film which might be triggering for some viewers.
Summary Thoughts on “A Different Man”
Just when you think all the clever ideas have been mined, along comes a movie that is refreshingly different. This is a really clever film. Your heart really does go out to people suffering from any serious facial disfigurement, especially those with neurofibromatosis.
The message I took from this is that if you live your life with supreme confidence then everyone will see past the imperfections. Let’s face it, you only have to look at that narcissistic wanker Trump to know that THAT is true!
Recommended.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “A Different Man”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9CmC5Rmsdw.
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