In “A Different Man” Sebastian Stan has an extreme surgical operation to make it look like well, Sebastian Stan. But he is not very pleased with the results because the way he feels inside hasn’t changed.
The plot is somewhat reminiscent of “Seconds”, the 1966 John Frankenheimer thriller starring Rock Hudson, who believed that this performance would present him as an actor of a different caliber. It did not, at least not then. But you can, and should, watch it at The Criterion Channel or Kanopy instead. Stan has long had such the luxury to take such risks, of juggling the Winter Soldier character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and roles in more nuanced projects ‘A Different Man’, ‘Fresh’ and ‘I Tonya’. These are the furthest he seems to be from the familiar, for it seems losing one’s attractiveness is liberating. Part of the responsibilities he also has as a producer of the film.
During most of the time in writer and director Aaron Schimberg’s dark comic Stan has covered himself in heavy layers of make up to change the look of a standard face into one with deep dissimilarity of features. As indicated in the press notes, Stan strolled the avenues of New York while dressed in the immaculate makeup and costume and even dropped by his routine coffee shop so as to understand how his character, Edward, ought to have moved around in the world.
What is also refreshing about Edward, however, is that he is not treated as a magical or noble character, as many movies tend to do while presenting characters with disabilities that possess some mystique or élan. Instead he is a timid, rather more normal person. He is an aspiring actor, but one who seems quite awful at his craft; the few times and scenes he portrays himself on what is a rather rare occasion of being employed, it is cringe worthy. However, he is driven by a bad fantasy, as it is entirely his misplaced ambition that propels him towards this unusual change.
In terms of pacing, Schimberg’s direction feels appropriate as it is also consistent with Edward’s personality. Camera work was done in Super 16mm by Wyatt Garfield, and A Different Man has a 70’s New York independent feel to it, as well as absurdist aspects of Woody Allen movies from the same decade. This is especially the case after Renate Reinsve joins as Edwards’s next door neighbor, the audacious writer Ingrid who just returned from Norway for a better career move.
Reinsve, who came into fame thanks to the 2021 drama The Worst Person in the World, beautifully transitions back to being a selfish and compassionate character: the classic alluring woman who can be a total bitch when the time calls for it.
Reinsve’s over the top charm carries us through the character, even when or often, especially because we are convinced she is playing with us. Edward and Ingrid engage in a peculiar friendship, which has the potential to become something more. There is comical relief as there is also stress regarding the balance of power between the two as they require something from each other and quite possibly at different stages in their relationship.
Once more, Edward resorts to donning his ugly mass of a face so as to become somebody named Guy who is a real estate agent. The phrase ‘A Different Man’ would fit perfectly with the other body horror movie of this week, Coralie Fargeat’s delightfully over the top The Substance. And still, even with his glow up, self doubt is a constant overshadowing Edward. But Stan manages to create an actual sense of flow, having the same hunched back and stammering most of his lines. A fuck in the bath of a bar is considerably cringe. Worse still, when a cute girl appears, his personality gets even more messed up.
Oswald is played by Adam Pearson , a British gentleman who because of coincidence happens to have a disfigured face identical to what Edward once had. The last time we heard about Pearson was during his vigorous supporting role in Jonathan Glazer’s ‘ Under the Skin’ or in Schimberg’s last movie ‘Chained for Life’, that was in 2018. Oswald has neurofibromatosis, but because Oswald is so self assured, he makes an impression as soon as he meets people. He is a charming womanizer with a keen sense of humor and curiosity towards the world. In brief, all that Edward has never been, which drives Edward into even further extreme desperation. It is composer Umberto Smerilli’s dense score who depicts this fighting reality with a smirk, most of the times quite gently.
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