Sydney Film Festival Review - A Different Man

 

“Who is Edward”

Darkly comedic, ironic and tragic, A Different Man is a brilliant psychological drama that’s almost caustically funny as it examines an insecure actor who finds a miracle cure for his facial disfigurement, only to be usurped by a charismatic man who shares his exact same condition, with fantastic performances from Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and a scene-stealing Adam Pearson, in a film that avoids exploitation, and instead delivers excellent examination of aesthetics and identity.

Discussion Points:

Such a brilliantly written and structured film. Carefully avoids feeling exploitative, cruel or mean, and instead uses humour and dark irony to help palate the spiral of tragedy faced by Sebastian Stan’s Edward. Stan is absolutely fantastic, first when caked under insanely impressive prosthetics, and then as the prosthetics peel off and he’s left as a new man with the same insecurities. Watching him slowly realise that the cure to his condition has actually left him worse off, leads to so many ironic and depressing funny moments. These moments are livened by the charisma of Adam Pearson, who swoops in to take all the trophies and wins that should go to Edward, if only his face were still disfigured. Completing the trio is Renate Reinsve, in an English-language role as a playwright and lover, whose comedic timing helps perfect the tone of the film. Genuinely impressed at how well this film pulls off its simple high concept sci-fi premise and yet remains grounded despite its meta narrative moments and surrealist themes as things steadily unwind into madness. Incredibly well acted, written, directed, paced and with fantastic makeup prosthetics, A Different Man is one of my favourite films of 2024.