This movie made me so mad. I have no idea what I just watched and I want these 90 minutes of my life back.
Brilliant and mind-blowing. Reminded me a lot of Donnie Darko.
I enjoyed it SPOILERS. But I found the mystery initially annoying because everything is built around sheer overreaction. I'm all for the unforeseen but why freak out because you've got a double.? Why freak out at all all the small things that happen? It's not like anyone knows any hidden information. This story only works if the confusing and idiotic elements of the story are either supernatural, dreams/imagination. I take it as dreams /imagination.
The mother mentions acting to the non acting double, which she wouldn't have known, so she is aware of something (or was it his imagination ). She also offers blueberries as to check who she is talking to. This now suggest some split personality present. The spider could be his fear of cheating in a hallucination form, which stemmed from the strip club. Or even entrapment into a sedate oife as he finally views the preganat woman as a spider. Maybe the actor character was dreamt up to impress the stripper and be a cover persona. Later on she is suprised to find a ring mark on his finger. This could be a re-living on an event or the actual double stealing the others life and being found out. This movie is very open to interpretaion, but I think the enemy is the man himself, he is his own worst enemy. I think the point of this movie is to be ambiguous and let the viewer decide what's right. I think think I'll ever watch it again though as it's more of a decipher movie rather than entertainment.
Both Adam and Anthony are same person. Anthony is the imagination of Adam.Adam is currently married to Helen but he is frustrated and due to fear of commitment ( symbolised by spider) he creates Anthony. Adam feels that he is not happy in his life.
Mary was Adams ex gf so Anthony (in imagination) stalks Mary to fulfill Adams desire.
The movie revolves around the fact that who will be in dominance.
When helen goes to college she came to knew the disorder of Adams so she asked 'How was your school' & 'I wanted you to stay'
So Anthony dies but in the last when he see the key Anthony Returns
I agree with the sentiment that if a movie needs an explanation outside of itself then it’s not a perfect movie, however, once you read the theories this film takes on a whole nother level of genius. If i had gotten to the meaning of it by myself this movie would have a big round 10, but unfortunately it’s just a little too abstract for me to be completely satisfied by it. Jake is fucking incredible, i am seriously obsessed with him. And Villeneuve does an amazing job with his shot composition, atmosphere setting and suspense building. One of my favourite directors. I don’t doubt this movie might go up to a 9 on a second watch, maybe.
8/10
When a film needs the explanation to get it then the filmmaker failed.
This is not a film for everyone. A surreal, metaphorical film that which theme has been subtly given from the beginning and rehearsed several times in the film. The film made me scratched my heads. But I can definitely appreciate the way Villeneuve created a brooding, menacing feel throughout the film, with nightmarish dreamlike sequence. Albeit not completely immersed to the movie, the striking ending, in which Gyllenhaal's character let out a tired, "here we go again" sigh, pretty much sums up the theme of the film.
Kept the suspense going but maybe I'm just not artsy enough to get the symbolism.
Great in-depth analysis, a must read https://shoton35.com/2014/06/05/enemy-in-depth-analysis/
One of the most complicated movies ever. I didn't quite comprehend the story even though i've read some explanations. this film actually requires serious thought.
well crafted but to slow and eventually i just didn't care about what i was watching. good effort though . But it´s another great job by Jake.
"Chaos is order yet undeciphered."
Like every good Villeneuve: complex and confusing. Every time I watch Enemy I learn something new about the movie, it's just the perfect puzzle. Like every good puzzle: inviting, not unsolvable but challenging, and rewarding. Definitely one of my favorite psychological thrillers and my favorite from Villeneuve overall. A psychologist's wet dream of a movie, there's just so much on the plate here and the character study is top notch. The mystery is engaging but perhaps even more engaging is Jake Gyllenhaal. It's not an extravagant performance but he really excels in the more subtle things; facial expressions, body language and line delivery. Great score, brilliant metaphors and such a unique concept. The ultimate 'commitment' movie. Villeneuve is a genius!
If you're trying not to lose your mind putting the puzzle together, this one's THE explanation to go for: https://youtu.be/v9AWkqRwd1I
A unique film, with a deep, thought-provoking plot, that'll keep you guessing and on your toes throughout the runtime.
this got me like whaaaaaaaaaaat?!
you know what's happen if you pay close attention. if not, just find the truth.
Debere leer el libro. Seguro el libro tiene mas sentido
Its crap, no explanation of the underground sex scene, or if he decided to stay with the double gangers pregnant wife or if the car cash had any survivors! Too many plot holes...
When you fully understand all the things that happened, you know that is just brilliant.
I’m all for metaphorical films but this is just lazy. A history teacher spots himself in a film which his colleague recommends. It's all normal until he and his look-alike finally meet. I think I understand the message it's trying to say but the experience is very tedious and empty and this film ends up saying nothing. I find this film to care more about being artsy then being enjoyable. It has zero entertainment value. This film tries to accomplish classic twin story, same characters with contrasting personality, but I don't think it succeeds at that. Their behaviours feels very forced, their motivations are unreasonable and the conflict between them just doesn't seem realistic to me. The strange imagery is just another attempt to make the film more interesting, sadly it doesn't work. The characters beside the twins are pretty much lifeless, like they don't want to be there in the first place. Also I'm not a fan of the color palette and some stylistic choices used in this film. It looks like piss. The score is the only thing they really put effort into. I won't recommend this film to anyone.
Way better on rewatch. This movie is not easy to understand but a second viewing definitely helped me understand and appreciate this movie more. Jake Gyllenhaal is just fantastic. As if one Jake wasn't enough, we get two in this movie. The movie looks beautiful, the yellow overload was great. Denis Villeneuve is a fantastic director.
I love Denis Villeneuve. I love Jake Gyllenhaal. I hated this movie.
Definitely in my top 10 favourites.
This was just brilliant. Too brilliant, in fact.
Trust me, if you've seen it, it's worth the extra 25 minutes to watch this video that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I
A weird movie that might be a little complicated to figure out what is actually happening. Although, it's a pretty unique idea that's executed pretty well.
The question I asked myself while watching this film is why Villeneuve is so obsessed with the colors pale yellow and orange and smog. I don't know, man. Gyllenhaal's performance is great, and the film had a really intriguing plot. I usually don't like the endings of movies to be ambiguous, but I'm this case, I think it works. The problem is, and I didn't notice it so much in Prisoners, but those long, slow panning shots bore me to tears. They come off as overdramatic and pretentious in scenes that don't even call for that approach. If it was a couple times in the whole film, sure, but it's throughout the whole movie. So that brings it down a notch or two for me, in what was otherwise, a really good flick.
My favourite Denis film, it feels very much inspired by Hitchcock. It’s a masterclass in building tension and makes sure to keep you guessing at every turn. It didn’t even seem all that inaccessible to me, I think that this should be fairly easy to understand for someone who knows how to look at arthouse cinema or can pick up on subtleties. There’s some abstraction, but nothing too challenging. By the time the credits roll it’s really not that hard to make sense of. I was still kinda waiting for the big Tyler Durden style reveal, but I like that he didn’t do that. Jake’s great, the cinematography is very distinct, the audio design is immersive and it’s a memorable film overall.
9/10
Intriguing story. Good acting. Slow development. Puzzle style.
At first I felt like this movie was far too slow for me. It picks up into one of the best third acts I've seen in a long time. Lots of theories online about the meaning but the obvious one is the best one in this case. Won't spoil here but check out stuckmann's review on yt for further insight.
6.6 for me. 4ish start. 8.5 or so ending.
A intriguing film about a man who happens upon his doppelganger and becomes entwined with him. This was suspenseful and became a real puzzle. It's a movie that wants you to try and figure out what's really going on. It doesn't lay out all of the answers for you. After much noodling on it, don't take the spiders literally. By the way, the ending was a very cool, WTF moment.
Just when I thought I understood what was going on, boom, the ending occurs and I am totally confused. I guess that is a positive though. The narrative is constantly evolving and keeps the viewer guessing as to what is actually occur. I was lower on this film after my initial watch, but after doing some research on to the overarching themes I enjoyed the ending and the experience much more.
Score: 75%
Verdict: Good
An outstanding example of how to engage your audiences brains. The film won't be for everyone but if you take the time to THINK about the metaphors in this film it is an absolute gem, everything is intentional, the music, the cinematography, those spiders...
do your self a favour and don't watch this movie
just don't watch it
you can waste your time on something else
This movie makes you think
Jake tem um dom muito especial em fazer personagens psicologicamente complexos, exemplos deste filme e claro Donnie Darko.
Filme que lhe faz pensar.
sensational. powerful. confusing? quite a bit.
Very original... just like Donnie Darko. No wonder why the critics liked it. But just like Donnie Darko, I could not like it.
Brillante si la entiendes, asfixiante si no lo haces.
Pretty good. Although I needed some explanation from YouTube before I totally got the point.
It was good. From 1 - 10 , I'd give it a 6. Only an opinion (of course).
I guess my rating is in line with others, but what's up with these guys linking 13 and 25 minute YouTube videos to 'explain' the movie? It's not that complicated if you've seen a few of these. It's one guy and he's had a mental breakdown. I won't say more. Just watch it again with that in mind and most of it will fall into place. That said, I don't think any answer claiming to be either correct or accurate is right. It's a story and I believe a few things were left open for you to interpret it in your own way. This is the kind of movie that doesn't do your thinking for you. Your mind has to fill in the blanks, giving you a more... personal experience.
That being said, the spider thing didn't bother me like I thought it would. I am arachnophobic, but they were simply out of place. I don't think we needed the sex club, either. And the yellow theme all the time. I hated the blue in the Underworld movies; the yellow doesn't do Enemy any favours, either.
Very interesting movie that keeps you in suspense until the very end (at which point you will say WTF?!) After you watch the movie, see this explanation. It's by far the best and most correct: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I
I Like this so mutch
this movie is very good, but what frustrates me is that he is not easy to understand. seriously, I needed to see a video reviews of this film. This movie is about a guy who has two sides of himself, Adam does not know who he really is. Adam works as a teacher in a college, who have a boring life. he does not usually see the movie, until that decite rent one and find you can live a happy life with his wife. PS: the spider represents the disturbed relationship with his wife, for this reason he fucks other women to forget the problems and feel good
You really should see this after the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5wNsafEQ2A I didnt get the whole point of the movie until i saw this explanation!
Really good. Lots of hidden metaphors in there.
Looking forward to this one!
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2014-06-23T14:06:37Z
I don't even know where to start. Enemy was one of my most anticipated films for this year. It is based on José Saramago's book called "The Double" (in its original Portuguese title "O Homem Duplicado") and it was constantly delayed here in Portugal but now I understand why the wait. They wanted to release it at the 4th year anniversary of the death of José Saramago, winner of a Literature Noble Prize in 1998 and one of our the greatest Portuguese writers ever! It was a beautiful homage, afterall this country unfortunately did not praised him as much as he deserved during his life. He had his very own philosophies, he was a very peculiar and different man. He was against Catholic Church and in a country where most of people are catholics, he was not very well regarded and I think his writing was damaged before the eyes of a country that sometimes cannot see through differences. I look at the writer not at the man, everyone is free to think whatever they want but well, that's another story. Now back to the film!
Enemy is a very complex thriller, very nightmarish and dark with an absolutely engaging atmosphere that will twist your mind and oh, how do I like this kind of mind-f*cking films! As a film that is based on a José Saramago's book and I know that he is a very metaphoric writer, who liked to makes us pull things from our head, mixing reality with mere thoughts, I knew that I would have to pay very attention to all of the details and that's what I did.
I also loved the claustrophobic feeling in the air, it's almost like we are trapped into the film and the absolutely creepy and dreadful soundtrack helps to create that feeling.
There are some things left hovering the air but I have a pretty strong theory for this story. This is a film that requires more than one viewing and I believe that can become more special to us in each visualization. Is very difficult to talk about it without spoiling anything. I think it is a film which is best experienced and then discussed.
What can I say more about Jake Gyllenhaal that I haven't said before? He must be one of the most underrated actors ever and he is so amazing! I can't remember to had seen a single bad performance from him. Once again he shines and what can be better than have, not one but two Jake Gyllenhaals?
I don't see everyone enjoying this film, some might think it is too slow or too boring. Some will feel very bothered with the atmosphere and with what they are watching but for me worked even better than what I was expecting.
Denis Villeneuve amazed me with Prisoners, one of my favorites of last year and he amazes me again with another fantastic work directing Enemy.