Um Homem Diferente

I was not sure when to laugh or look pensive while watching A Different Man but I went with the audience and laughed when they did and thought when they did. Although I'm not sure I agree we should have laughed when we did because the story is of identity crisis above anything else. In this film, a man with facial deformities assumes another life after a successful surgery but is overwhelmed by what his new life is failing to give him and what the old life in hindsight gave him. It's a surreal experience where you will end up thinking about your own life should given a chance to change it and reborn as a new man. A Different Man shows that changing to another person looks good but it's the case of grass is greener on the other side. Sebastian Stan is adorable here.

(Watched at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

Kudos to Sebastian Stan for committing 100% to a deeply flawed character living through a very complex situation, and for giving an intensely physical performance.

I wish I could say I liked the movie more than I did. It's a compelling premise and gets even more so once the actor Adam Pearson makes his appearance (Pearson also gives a wonderful performance, by the way). But I felt every minute of this film. It's not long, but it feels like it is. It overstayed its welcome for me by a good fifteen minutes or so.

But I liked the central question the movie asks of its main character -- where's the line between being unfairly held back by societal constructs because of our disadvantages vs. Voluntarily opting in to being a victim? Stan's character does some pretty reprehensible things by the time the movie is over, but your heart can't help but go out to the guy.

Grade: B.

I enjoyed A Different Man, but it fell a little bit short of my expectations because there was so much hype surrounding it. It was good, a very A24 type movie, but not the kind of movie I'll be revisiting very often.

Sebastian Stan is great, but I never admire an actor who has the task of playing a bad actor. He manages to pull it off well, while also doing some solid acting aside from that. Renate Reinsve also had the unfortunate task of playing an unlikeable character, which just seems to be her resume, but again she did well. It's hard to actually rate Adam Pearson as he is such a unique actor and the role was a little bit overbearing, but I certainly enjoyed his performance.

The story felt a little like Adaptation. (2002) at times and even a bit like The Shout (1978). I'm not quite sure how I feel about it on the whole yet, as the ending was somewhat interoperative. It's a movie that will take some digestion so my rating may change later.

I found 'A Different Man' a very tough movie to get my head around just whether I enjoyed it or not. On the one hand I found it interesting and I was always curious what would happen next and how it would conclude. On the other hand, I rarely liked the choices it did make next and didn't love the way it did conclude.

I get the message the movie is trying to get across, but I'm not sure this was the way to hammer it home. I get that imposter syndrome is a real thing, but this seemed a little bit ludicrous and hard to buy into. But perhaps that's the point?

It is a very interesting film to look at though. The acting is great and it is shot in a lot of really interesting ways. There's also a grittiness about it that keeps you on your toes and has you unsure what is around the next corner. I'm really torn on this one, but I'll settle on 6.5/10.

From what I'm reading online, everyone except me seems to find this film a comedy, but for me, this felt like horror. This gave me a similar feeling to what I felt after watching Synecdoche New York even though they're very different. Both had the making of a play as a central plot point and both made me feel like I'm watching a psychological horror film.

The protagonist Edward may be very different from me but his insecurities about life, the way he hides from the past and acts through the present, only to be shown to him he can't really make it because of who he is, just hits close to home.

The way this movie nonchalantly shows how people are perceived due to how each person believes what they are is striking. Be it the person who you expect not to be popular being popular or the person you expect to be kind being not that, maybe even unbeknownst to themselves. It breaks the bubble of how such movies usually show these kinds of situations by making it very unsettling which can be perceived as darkly comical as well I guess.

Sebastian Stan is brilliant with his body language conveying all the insecurities. Adam Pearson being the charming positive force of the movie was such a surprise but it's great to see especially when it's Sebastian Stan on the other side.

One of the best movies of the year and something I won't revisit anytime soon.