Genre: Drama, Thriller
Distributor: Studio Canal
BD/DVD Release Date: 4th August 2014 (UK)
Rating: 15
Running Time: 93
Director: Richard Ayoade
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn
Buy: DVD, Blu-Ray
The Double is Richard Ayoade’s second movie after Submarine, written alongside Avi Korine (Harmony’s brother) it’s based on the Dostoyevsky novella of the same name.
Simon (Jesse Eisenberg) is a loner living in a distopian world lead by the mysterious colonel. He spends his days working in the office and his nights spying on his neighbour Hannah (Mia Wasikowska).
James Simon (Eisenberg again), the double, comes along and straight away is everything Simon wants to be, confident, self assured, knows how to get his way. They start off well and go out together, but then James turns against Simon, to win Hannah, steals his job, his apartment and his life, sending Simon into a frenzy. Once Simon realises that him and James are somewhat connected physically, he comes up with a plan to reek his revenge on James.
Simon’s obsession with Hannah reminds me of Submarine and the Oliver Tate obsession with the unobtainable Jordana. It’s apparent from watching his films and seeing interviews that Ayoade is a romantic and his films have a penchant to obsess over the unobtainable almost “manic pixie dream girl” character he creates. Wasikowska does a fine job, and you do get to see glimpses of her character but the external, male version of her character is apparent and somewhat of a let down to Wasikowska’s abilities.
Jesse Eisenberg is compelling as both Simon and James and does a notable job in the role. In the supporting cast there are many a familiar face from Submarine including Noah Taylor and Yasmin Paige. Wallace Shawn (Gossip Girl) does a fine job as Mr Papadopoulos and Chris Morris is brilliant in an all too brief cameo.
Paddy Constantine has a hilarious cameo as the star of a rather bizarre unnamed TV programme which Simon watched throughout the movie. It’s some kind of bizarre space cop show, with an 80’s space pop soundtrack, bringing to mind one of Ayoade’s previous efforts, Gareth Marenghi’s Dark Place.
Ayoade has put so much thought in stylizing the film into a bizarre vintage idea of the future. There is no natural light throughout the movie, most of the scenes are shot at night with jarring electric lights. This was mainly done so that the double effects of Eisenberg’s Simon and James together would work well, though adds to the aesthetic of the movie.
The music is mainly Korean 60’s pop, a genre that Ayoade apparently loves including the haunting The Sun by Kim Jung Mi which is sublime over the end credits.
A truly commendable film which stands up to and surpasses Submarine in many ways. Though endearing in some way, I hope that in his next film, Ayoade gets over his hapful romanticness and learns to create better roles for women.
A truly commendable film which stands up to and surpasses Submarine in many ways. Though endearing in some way, I hope that in his next film, Ayoade gets over his hapful romanticness and learns to create better roles for women.
★★★★
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