Enemigos idénticos

Denis Villeneuve, whose last two films were the hugely impressive Incendies and Prisoners, has concocted a real oddity here. If you can imagine David Lynch adapting a Kafka novel, then you will be in the right neighborhood! In Incendies and Prisoners,Villeneuve inserted serious moral and social issues in the context of first rate thrillers' Here he follows the same tradition but the tone is more abstract and absurd. Neverherless, Enemy, adapted from a novel by the Nobel prize winner Jose Saramago, is always gripping and totally fascinating. A man (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets a recommendation from a colleague to watch a particular video. The main actor in the video appears to be his doppelgänger and the two agree to meet. To reveal any more would lessen the enjoyment of this highly original film. Well worth catching.

This film is listed as a thriller/mystery and the plot summary suggests that it will be a great slice of sci-fi ideasmanship with a big Hollywood name in the lead. Regardless of whether the film is any good or not, it is pretty important that you ditch expectations at the door, because this is not so much a thriller as it is a character piece that uses this device to explore its central character(s). You need to know this because ultimately the film is very slow, really doesn't give you anything in the way of easy answers and will require you to think back over the film once you do reach the ending. So while it is generally good to come to a film without knowing much about it, it is best here to go in without bringing your own assumptions.

The plot sees a history professor living out a life that he appears to find dull. He gives the same lectures and he has similar sex with his girlfriend – all of which seems to be in contrast to the opening scene where we see him at some very seedy sex club. One night he is watching a movie on the suggestion of a colleague and he sees what appears to be himself in a tiny supporting role. Turning to the internet he finds that the struggling actor in question is indeed a perfect match for him, and he sets out to meet him – something that both men quickly realize is a mistake.

This plot unfolds in a way that is patient and atmospheric; the soundtrack broods across the entire piece, everything is dimly lit apart from a few scenes and generally there is a feeling of things not being right. This is added to by the presence of large spiders in a couple of scenes – in particular a giant one that treads across the entire city. As a presence the film is engaging in its mystery but while it entices you to work out what is happening, it is better to be thinking about what it all means, since this is a film or allegory more than action. Viewing it as such and a lot of it makes sense – not all of it – but most of it. There are clear themes of infidelity, of moral weakness, of temptation and within all of these the spiders and the doppelgangers all fit in a way that will make sense if you take the time after to think back over it – but not if you are too busy being annoyed at the end for not being the tidy thriller conclusion you expected. Once you do think back through it, I would say that it is perhaps not as smart or as subtle as it would like to think itself, but it does still work thanks to some good ideas in fragmenting the flow of time through the narrative (but mostly keeping this to itself) and also making it pretty clear that it is not a straight piece as the one-line pitch would suggest).

I should be honest and say that I didn't know anything about the film when I watched it and I did get caught up in the mystery looking for the film to hand me everything; however I did also buy into the brooding atmosphere so it was clear that there was more meaning than solutions to be drawn here. Villeneuve is clearly one who likes the darker side of things; having seen Prisoners and the short film Next Floor from him recently I think that much is clear. Here he makes the most of that and is helped by the soundtrack and cinematography. Gyllenhaal understands the film well and his performance(s) is well targeted to be ignorant but yet also informed as to how he lays out the path; it is a subdued performance(s) but one he does well. Outside of him there is really just a supporting cast but Laurent and Gadon both do their parts well. Rossellini's character doesn't really work (being a bit too obvious in what she delivers) and I also didn't care too much for her casting since she seems like Lynchian shorthand that wasn't needed by that point.

Enemy is a strange film but it is a mostly engaging one. It is dark and brooding in its presentation and while the mystery is more about meaning than explaining events, it compels on both levels. It is not as smart as it would like to think though and I can understand a level of frustration with it, but to me it was a film I enjoyed while watching and appreciated thinking back over it.

Denis Villeneuve to me is a hugely talented director, and the six films seen of his so far have all been good to outstanding. 'Sicario', 'Incendies' and 'Blade Runner 2049' are especially good. 'Prisoners' was very good and almost great until let down by the ending and while 'Arrival' had its issues it was also well done with a lot to admire.

That 'Enemy' has replaced 'Arrival' as my least favourite Villeneuve film and still manages to be a film of many admirable qualities says a lot about how talented he is and how good his best films are. Can totally understand why 'Enemy' would captivate many critics and on the flip side confound others, 'Arrival' is a very divisive film but 'Enemy' (after only seeing it recently) seems to divide people much more. It's one of Villeneuve's most ambitious films (between this and 'Sicario' as the most) and also his most puzzling and least accessible perhaps. Found a lot to admire about 'Enemy' myself, but it is one of those "highly appreciate" than "love" films.

Will admit to not completely understanding some of the storytelling and symbolism/metaphors, there are parts that could have gone into much more depth with some very intriguing ideas that are not fully explored. It is not always the most consistently involving film either, some of the pacing is drawn out too much and could have done with some more tightening.

Count me in too as somebody who found the ending, one of the film's most polarising elements, unsatisfying. It was unsettling sure, but it was also abrupt, incomplete feeling and left too many questions unresolved.

On the other hand, 'Enemy' is exceptionally well made. The visual style is both attractive and lurid, the dark and yellow hues allure and disturb in equal measure and the whole film is expertly in its cinematography. The music is appropriately creepy and anxiety-inducing.

'Enemy's' dialogue is sparse but when it appears it's thought-provoking. The symbolism and metaphors perplex at times but unsettle and fascinate every bit as much. The story has its problems, but it is a very intriguing premise that has a very creepy and wonderfully weird (drawing favourable comparisons with David Lynch, and one can see why) atmosphere, a tight structure and some of the suspense makes one bite the nails in anxiety. Regardless of what anyone's stance on the film is overall, it is hard to deny that 'Enemy' definitely does stay with you long after it's over.

Villeneuve deserves a large part of the credit for his smart and suspenseful direction. Likewise with the truly incredible lead performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. Sarah Gadon and Isabella Rossellini are both very well cast, particularly Gadon who to me is at her best here.

In conclusion, divisive and problematic but leaves a lasting impression. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Enemy is the latest thriller from Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, and it stands as a hybrid mix of David Lynch and David Fincher at their very finest. Enemy follows Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) on a journey to find his exact lookalike named Anthony, a terrible D-list celebrity. As his investigation deepens, the mystery thickens and he is thrown into a fray way above his head. What works in Enemy is Gyllenhaal's fearless performance as a man who is searching to find who he really is. There are a couple scenes that he has where is truly riveting and it becomes so hard to take your eyes off the screen. It really is an explosive yet very contained performance that I feel needs a lot of recognition. Enemy marks itself as a film about identity and never knowing who you truly are and the pressures of wanting to become something you're not. While it remains as a heavy message, it still makes for a film that almost demands repeat viewings. At 90 minutes even, the film moves and never slows down enough for us to even breathe. Before we can even question what is going on in one scene, Villeneuve throws us another curve ball to contend with. While that may bring confusion to many people, it is very welcoming to a viewer in the mood to do some serious thinking. Anything beyond that, it may garner some negative responses especially if you're not paying close attention. Enemy works well as a psychological thriller, bringing some of the most disturbing images I've seen on screen in recent years. This film is NOT scary, but it is extremely uneasy and very creepy, especially towards the last twenty minutes of the film, which had me holding my breath as we finally discover the truth of what is going on.

Overall, this is one hell of a film that really does almost require a second (and possibly a third) viewing. I highly recommend it, especially to fans of David Lynch's Eraserhead. The images are memorable, the performances are very well rounded and this is just a very very well done film.

Denis Villeneuve garnered a lot of attention for his mainstream success with PRISONERS, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, but it was it smaller, more obscure release that I wanted to see. ENEMY was released around the same time as PRISONERS but never saw a national release and I had to wait for the home video release to finally catch it. Watching it, I figured out why it never went mainstream. Most general audiences don't like something they can't understand, and ENEMY is probably best described as a mental cluster fu…mess. It has a surface plot that's easy enough to understand but the film is loaded with symbolism and deeper themes. Most of which can't be discussed without entering spoiler territory so I won't touch on it much, but this is a movie that inspires discussion or…at the very least…will leave you contemplating it long after it ends. I know my first viewing led to two days of thought trying to decipher what I'd seen and it wasn't until I scoured the Internet, reading over the frustration of others and the myriad of proposed meanings, that I felt I'd come to an understanding. But that's me and my obsessive nature, and others can do their own research. On the surface, ENEMY is about history teacher Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal). Adam is suggested a film from a work colleague that he might enjoy and becomes obsessed when an extra in the film looks exactly like him. He tracks the actor down, Anthony (also Gyllenhaal), and discovers they're physically identical in every way. And then it gets weird.

At first impression, ENEMY is a very depressing film. It's incredibly dark with lots of shadows and harsh lighting, and the entire movie has this bizarre yellow tint to it. Everything is has an unnerving yellow sickness to it. And the characters…well, no one is happy here. Adam is a depressing little man. He doesn't say much and he's very socially awkward. He's got a beautiful girlfriend named Mary (Mélanie Laurent) but there's some unknown tension between the two of them. She seems to come to his barren apartment every night and the two of them spend a minimal amount of time together before moving to the bedroom, and she always seems to leave in anger or exasperation when it's through. Anthony is more outgoing, more confident. He's married to a beautiful woman (Sarah Gadon) in a crumbling marriage racked with previous infidelities on his part. She seems hopeful that he's changed but the recent events where he hides his meeting with Adam have her wondering if he's returned to old habits. Everyone's pretty miserable but Adam finds hope for something interesting when he encounters his doppelganger. Whatever it was that piqued his interest, it fades fast as the two come face-to-face and Adam immediately regrets it. Anthony immediately moves to do what pretty much any one of us would probably do if we discovered we had an exact duplicate somewhere in the world with a beautiful girlfriend.

The surface plot is simple enough but there is so much more boiling beneath the surface of ENEMY. Honestly, I'd seen it twice and couldn't quite piece it together on my own. I only came to full understanding after doing some additional searching around the web for interpretations. I didn't have to do all the supplemental research. The movie's was perfectly fine as a piece of head-scratcher entertainment. I wanted to do it. I found ENEMY so enthralling that I wanted to know more. It's a very slow moving movie and spends most of the first half establishing the atmosphere and building the suspension but then it grabs you and you can't stop watching because you're so interested in seeing how it'll all play out. At least, I was. Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing in the dual role. I was impressed with Sam Rockwell in Duncan Jones' MOON but Rockwell was essentially playing the same character interacting with itself. Gyllenhaal invests such seamless separate personalities into Adam and Anthony that they truly feel like two individual men. He's done an incredible job with ENEMY and I hope he gets some accolades for it. Mélanie Laurent isn't given much as Mary, but Sarah Gadon is undeniably sympathetic as Anthony's pregnant, hopeful wife Helen. Every involved brings their best to the table, making ENEMY one of the better hidden gems I've found in the past year's independent film selection. It's not going to be a film for everyone but anyone who enjoys a film that leaves you contemplating it after the credits roll should give ENEMY a chance.