Enemy – Canada/France/Spain – 2013 – Drama, Psychological, Mystery
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Written by: Javier Gullón
Main Players: Jake Gyllenhaal; Mélanie Laurent; Sarah Gadon; Isabella Rossellini
Chaos is order yet undeciphered. In Toronto, a man (Gylenhaal) sits in his parked car, listening to a voicemail from his mother (Rossellini). She was happy to see his new apartment, but is worried about how he can live the way he is.
Next, this man walks through some dimly lit hallway over to a live viewing of a sexual event of some kind, followed by a spider stomping in an auditorium filled with creepy rich dudes. Uhhh……
This person, Adam Bell, appears to have dual lives as he goes back to his focus as a professor in the light of day, teaching college students historical patterns of repetition, obsession, and control of dictatorships.
His home life with girlfriend Mary (Laurent) seems like something to be happy about, but mostly he seems bored and lost with his own repetitive cycle. Suddenly, his life is turned upside down when a coworker suggests he rent a movie. The man gives him a title to check out, which is a locally shot film.
When Adam tracks down this movie, watching it reveals another man which looks identical. What the hell? In the credits, the part is noted as played by Daniel Saint Clair, who could be Adam’s doppelganger. Something immediately feels weird as Adam’s world is thrown into disarray and he tries not to melt down while following up on the situation.
While Enemy is my least favorite film by one of my favorite directors, it remains fairly solid and is fully worth a watch, especially for those which enjoy dark, narratively abstract thrillers. It is weird, metaphorical, and off-putting, as well as quite intriguing and engaging. This film is also loosely based on a novel, but is quite a deviation, or so I find from research as I have not read the source material myself.
Enemy is very high quality in all technical aspects and features enthralling and excellent acting from Jake, Sarah and Mélanie, along with an oppressive and moody atmosphere. You will not be spoon-fed anything from the smart script or expert director, so pay attention and make of things as you will. A conclusive conclusion to every aspect of this film is hard to draw outright, especially from just one viewing. Those down for nightmarish or twisted versions of reality may enjoy this feature.
See This If You Liked:
Lost Highway; Mulholland Drive; Inland Empire; The Machinist; Beau is Afraid; Stay (2005); I’m Thinking of Ending Things; The Number 23; Shutter Island; Vanilla Sky; Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos); Eyes Wide Shut; Vertigo (1958); Men (2022); Donnie Darko; Vivarium (2019)
Score:
7.0