Body horror looks to be one of the ongoing themes at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival, with A24’s latest film A Different Man which continues the trend with writer/director Aaron Schimberg diving into a story of beauty being skin deep and changing your outside, still makes you the same person on the inside, regardless of how much you don’t want it to be that way. This is told through an outstanding performance from Sebastian Stan and a typically kooky storyline that is classic of A24 films, A Different Man succeeds in the body horror, being comfortable in your own skin tale that you have definitely seen before, perhaps not told as well as it is here.
Set in New York City, Edward (Sebastian Stan) is an actor with neurofibromatosis, unable to get roles in films or theatre, he does instructional videos for workplaces about accepting others who are different. He lives in a run-down apartment with a massive hole in the roof that keeps getting bigger as each day passes, with brown foul water trickling down onto his lounge room floor. His new next-door neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) treats him kindly and forges a friendship with him. While Edward is struggling to find work, he undergoes a new experimental treatment that turns him into well Sebastian Stan.
Once his transformation is complete, he takes on a new identity and kills Edward off to the rest of the world. He becomes a successful real estate mogul due to his charm and good looks to forge a new life for himself. When he finds out that Ingrid is staging an off-broadway play based on their friendship, he insists on starring in it and re-kindling his romantic interest in her. It is at this time that Oswald (Adam Pearson) enters the scene and while he suffers from the same afflictions that Edward did, he is completely at home in his own skin. He knows the hottest girls in local bars, does yoga in the park, is the life of the party and is successful in life despite his condition. The rest of the film is a struggle between Oswald, Edward and their plight to get Ingrid’s romantic interest, the film also heavily leans into Oswald’s being the complete opposite of Edward when he had the same condition.
The make up effects and prosthetics on Stan are nothing short of incredible. They look incredibly real and create a visceral reaction to the transformation scene when we literally see Edward shed his old face and settle into his newly-found “good looks” Stan really gets the chance to shine after this transformation and discovers that maybe he isn’t the person he thought he was. Pearson is the hero of this movie as the enigmatic Oswald. His entire performance is authentic and a role that is usually led by a Ryan Reynolds type, it is fantastic to see the authenticity of his character and just how enigmatic he is. Pearson proves he is a force to be reckoned with, delivering a close-to-leading man role.
The film’s story has no interest in sticking to a formula or keeping its audience comfortable in its story. It has no problem leaping into the absurd and going back and forth, which is all fuelled by Stan and Pearson as they showcase their differing personalities and how they respond to their condition. While it may seem like it is a “beauty is only skin deep” story, director Schimberg allows it to spin off into unexpected directions, creating plenty of room for these characters to breathe. Stan takes this character into a space where you won’t know if you feel sorry for him or are completely terrified of what he may do to you. It’s a tough balance to get right and Stan delivers on every level here.
A Different Man is a complete surprise, not content to play by traditional cinematic rules, it is a film that poses questions to the audience, rather than providing any kind of definitive answer.
