Pre-transformation, Sebastian Stan is unrecognizable as Edward, a man with neurofibromatosis – a genetic condition where benign tumors grow in the nervous system. Edward struggles as an actor, but he also struggles to exist. Edward doesn’t look like the average person, so people treat him as an outsider. Based on his looks, people think he needs help or advice. They non-consensually feel bad for him, which is almost worse than those who mock him.
Edward undergoes a medical procedure involving a new type of surgery and experimental drugs in an effort to fix his face. He changes his life to try to fit society’s definition of human. After getting a part in a play based on who he used to be, Edward hesitates in the spotlight by flubbing his lines and arguing with the director.
A man who also has neurofibromatosis named Oswald (Adam Pearson) enters Edward’s life. But Oswald lives an incredible life with his charismatic demeanor, ability to talk to anyone, and general ability to be liked by all. Just by being himself, Oswald begins taking this mask-wearing kingdom that Edward has built for himself.
As Oswald’s popularity rises higher and higher, Edward sinks lower than he’s ever been and becomes obsessed with Oswald in the process.
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A black comedy psychological thriller, A Different Man is a lot like watching someone witness their imposter syndrome. Edward is selfish and uses his newfound looks for his greedy desires. Oswald is full of empathy and kindness. He’s bursting with creativity, works well with others, and for whatever reason loves Edward.
The tumor-ridden Edward meets his new neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) at the beginning of the film. She is an amateur playwright and he can’t find work as an actor. They make a pact and Ingrid tells Edward that she will give him a part if she ever manages to write anything. Edward falls in love with her and generally desires a companion of any kind, but it never works despite her awkward flirty demeanor.
After the surgery, Edward becomes a real estate agent where his face is plastered all over their marketing. He follows Ingrid to a theatre where she has written a play about him and their interactions living next to each other.
The messed up thing about Edward’s surgery is that they make multiple masks of his original face. To make matters worse, they give him one of these masks to keep at the end of their sessions. As the new Edward, he didn’t get the part. But returning and auditioning while wearing the mask impresses Ingrid enough for him to get the part.
There are some wildly surreal moments in the film that only add weight to the film’s cerebral aspect. The drugs Edward takes have some disgusting results, and they also make him incredibly sick. The film never clarifies whether what he experiences after that moment are side effects. Edward also begins dating Ingrid, which seems like a big victory at first. Their relationship, especially in the bedroom, turns out to be less than healthy and drastically disturbing.
A Different Man plays out like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Edward is treated differently his whole life. He does something drastic to change that and lives the life of a normal person. Then somebody comes along who looks like Edward did originally only to live the life Edward always wanted before his transformation.
The film is sometimes funny, engrossing at others, and terrifying in between. A Different Man boasts a completely jarring sequence near the end of Edward’s transformation. It is an awesomely grotesque sequence straight out of the nastiest horror movies with impressive practical effects.
The performances are exceptional, the story reels you in from the first scene, and A Different Man ends with five of the most memorable words to be put to film this year. Sebastian Stan is sorrowfully mesmerizing while Adam Pearson is a charismatic delight. A Different Man scratches, peels, and rips its way into solidifying itself as one of the year’s best films.
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A Different Man (2024), A24
PROS
- Incredible story
- Fantastic acting
- Psychologically mesmerizing
CONS
- None