“A Different Man” asks, what’s in a face?

“A Different Man” is one of those rare movies that reaches out past its existence to point a mirror at the filmmakers, the audience, and itself.  It’s the perfect marriage of brilliant performances and clever storytelling that is able to go the extra mile thanks to the ethos lent by its talented cast.  Over two hours, fiction blends with reality in such a way that viewers will not see the full picture until the very end.  That it is also wickedly funny is a nice bonus.

The movie blends two classic cinematic trademarks: The misunderstood monster and the doppelganger.  Edward (played by Sebastian Stan) is an aspiring actor living in New York with a severe facial abnormality.  Neurofibromatosis has left him with multiple tumors and growths, and the movie begins by observing his sad circumstances.  People stare in curiosity and shock, a constant reminder of his own ugliness.  The portrait that writer-director Aaron Schimberg paints makes it impossible not to empathize with this poor soul, though he navigates it lightly with odd New Yorkers who reveal their ugliness with blunt cruelty.

One of them is Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), Edward’s beautiful new neighbor who’s an aspiring playwright.  They get close, but not too close; Edward knows that a woman would never be with him and his face.  But after an experimental treatment, he’s able to shed his hideous appearance.  With a face as handsome as Sebastian Stan’s, Edward abandons his old life for a new one, destroying his former self in favor of a more confident, beautiful image.  To top it off, he fittingly changes his name to “Guy.”

With his fresh face, Guy starts life anew.  But as Ingrid begins work on a new play about her old friend Edward, Guy can’t stay away.  It’s the part he was born to play, even as he keeps the truth secret.  This is enough plot to sustain a movie on its own, but then enters a different man.  Also interested in the play is Oswald (Adam Pearson), who has the same facial abnormality that Edward has shed.  Yet instead of sharing Edward’s insecurities, he exists with infectious charisma.  Intelligent, earnest, sweet, kind; every encounter with him reveals another positive characteristic.  Can such a person actually exist?  Edward is certain that there must be some ulterior motive.

The presence of Pearson is what twists the movie into a different direction, even involving the audience in its own introspection.  The actor has Edward’s disease in real life and seeing him inhabit an identical character lends a nice bit of gravitas in comparison to Guy. Pearson is infectious as Oswald.  It would be easy for any actor to get carried away portraying someone so perfect, but Pearson never misses a beat of sincerity.  Simply put he is delightful, and his endless kindness charms everyone, save for Guy.  It’s so refreshing to see Schimberg utilize real world casting to create such a unique dynamic between these two.  It makes for hilarious juxtaposition throughout the rest of the film.  

As Guy grows more jealous, all favor that was earned for him at the start melts away.  Stan balances Schimberg’s self-aware script subtly, revealing his entire form over time.  He has enough devotion to the role to allow himself to unravel in the shadow of Oswald, showcasing a different type of lowness than before.  Yes, Edward lived a sad life, but who could blame him?  Yet as Guy, there’s no one to blame but himself.  Comparing himself to Oswald reveals all his insecurities, both funny and sad.  It’s a testament to Stan that he is able to handle it so well.

Directing the play in development, Ingrid guides the audience through different analyses of whether Oswald or Guy should play the lead character.  Reinsve does a great job showing Ingrid performing for different characters, acting hypocritical in the way many of us are in different circles.  She is constantly engaging in this gray area.  With her, too, we initially see her one way, and then another.  So few films ask us to learn something about ourselves, but in looking so close at his own characters, Schimberg inspires us.  

As heady and introspective as I’ve made it sound, “A Different Man” still exists as a pitch dark comedy.  Oswald is such an uplifting character, and the depths his joy plunges Guy into are thrilling to witness.  As the film’s closing scenes play out past the expected ending, we end up in a place that we never imagined, yet could not avoid.  The final line of the movie could not be more well-crafted, acting as the perfect, haunting punchline.  No, I will not reveal it here, you must see it for yourself.

I recommend “A Different Man” to anyone who has ever wanted to be someone else, and to anyone who craves cruel comedy.  “A Different Man” opens in theaters Friday, October 4.