Some films strive to take us under the skin of a character. And then there’s Aaron Schimberg’s mordant oddity, A Different Man, a picture that peels back chunks of livid flesh to explore the overstuffed psychological baggage of Edward (Sebastian Stan, encased in prosthetics). An aspiring actor with severe facial disfigurement, Edward volunteers for an experimental treatment that “cures” his condition. He severs ties with his old identity, starting a new life as Guy (Stan minus the prosthetics), a hotshot estate agent.
But physical beauty is not always the happy ending that we assume it will be. Guy becomes obsessed with Oswald (British actor and TV presenter Adam Pearson), who he views as a happier, more successful version of his former self. Pearson previously starred in Schimberg’s 2019 film Chained for Life, about an actress struggling to connect with a disfigured co-star; Schimberg, who has a cleft palate, is drawn to the theme of facial differences. To add another uneasy meta layer to this Kaufmanesque dramedy, Oswald has been cast in the lead role of a play titled Edward, written by Guy’s former neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) and based on him.
There are a lot of ideas churning around in this intriguing but scattershot picture, which veers into the surreal and macabre in its quest to explore themes of identity, authenticity and the nature of beauty. Not all of it lands successfully, particularly in the increasingly agitated and fragmented second half. Still, Stan (who also impresses as Donald Trump in the forthcoming The Apprentice) is excellent as a man who, whatever his outward appearance, is chronically uncomfortable in his own skin.
• In UK and Irish cinemas now and Australian cinemas on 24 October.
