The Double 2014

Richard Ayoade is a very talented man. He's a funny comic and a good director. His first feature, 'Submarine' was a lovely tale about handling the harsh realities of being young. 'The double', however is basically a retelling of Dostoyevsky's novel. It's also a bit of a homage to a mixture of inspirations such as Gilliam, Fincher, Lynch and Wes Anderson.

Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska deliver nice performances here, but I'm afraid I'll have to resort to the cliche of "I didn't find myself caring about them much" to ram home the flaws in the Direction. Perhaps we're not supposed to care about them but then that leaves little else to engage with. This film came out the same year as Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy'. But that film (though not based on Dostoyevsky) was so much more engaging because it lured you into the mystery and made you want to find out why things were the way they were.

The Double is a bit of a let down as it is just so unoriginal. Have we seen these bubbling up in a plot before?

Dystopian corporate culture - check
Themes of dopplegangers - check
Old striking faces to instill dread and claustrophobia - check
Odd Dream sequences - check
Lead character scorned by parents - check
Overbearing soundtrack - check
Very fast paced witty dialogue - check
Social misfit trying to fit in - check

It all melds into a huge crockpot of unoriginality that however nice it is to look at, never gets off the ground because of the forced nature of the storylines. That means that every 5 minutes, something in the back of your brain is twitching, saying, "oh that reminds me of Fight Club", or "that was similar to Brazil". It eventually distracts the viewer from the action which is a shame.

I still like Ayoade and the lighting in this film is used masterfully though. Some of the photography is a joy to look at. Yellows, greys and white lights are used very well in almost every scene with some luminous blues and reds chucked in for good measure to add to the dystopian feel/

It's about time Ayoade directed something else, I'm convinced he has at least 1 great film in him.

This wasn't it though

Since everyone is checking Godzilla this weekend I decided to counter the wave and I went to the theater to see The Double which I'm interested about since I've heard of it.

Richard Ayoade is very peculiar as a director. In The Double, similar with what he did in Submarine, he proves again that he likes to write about awkward characters with awkward ways of live their lives, different looks and pretty unfit personalities.

Simon is just a simple clerk at an office where no one notices him. He is always so shy and unconfident that people make fun of him and most of the times don't believe in his skills at his job. When a new employee arrives at the office he start to get paranoid because the guy is physically equal to him but with a totally opposite personality and it seems like no one has noticed the difference.

The Double is definitely a very creative film with a very truthful story told in a very clever way! It might seem like a very confusing film but in my point of view is actually quite simple. I have my own interpretation of the story but that I won't tell in here because I don't want to spoil anything for you.
The message that we took from it its very sad because it really reflects the world that we live in. People love a confident person, a person who is smart and nice to everyone but usually that kind of people are the most cynical and they will be the first who will stab you behind your back. But those are the ones who usually conquer the world.

The performances are great! Jessie Einsenberg gives an absolutely amazing performance and he was perfect to this role. Mia Wasikowska is always lovely, I think she will become a very well recognized actress. The supporting cast was also great in their small roles. And I would like to share with you an interesting thought of mine. When I heard that Jessie Einsenberg would be the next Joker I had my doubts but after watching this I think I don't have doubts anymore. With this role, thanks to some intense scenes I could look at him and think "wow this guy can be a great Joker".

The cinematography is absolutely fantastic! The light, the set design, the camera work and all o the colors used were just perfect! A gorgeous film to look at!

I don't see everyone enjoying this film. I think it is not of everybody, and by that I mean, it might not please those who won't appreciate quirkiness in a film, and you definitely have to expect a lot of quirkiness from this one but I really enjoyed it and I think it shines for us the passion putted into the making of it. Even if you are not a fan of quirky films, I think you should give this one a try!

The Double is a film that certainly deserves recognition. I think it might be one of my favorites of this year.

I have not read the book so i have no idea if Richard Ayoade took more liberties than he should but quite like submarine he managed to tell a story i found really compelling. The outstanding thing after watching his films is the sense of realness he puts in his characters, and both in submarine and here i find i completely relate to the main character. And that is part of why i think Richard Ayoade is a director to watch, he manages to make anyone relate to these people not by making them as bland as possible (like many huge movie franchises today ranging from the masked vigilante that serves as a vessel to tell the story to the everyman underdog that manages to pull through) but by giving them character so distinct you cannot help but be understanding and accepting them as characters. The tone of this film is alot darker but it still works and there are some pretty interesting shots taking advantage of the premise of the film.

The acting in this movie is really on point. I find Jesse Eisenberg a hit or miss actor, but this performance i think among his best and i think better than what he had to offer in the social network [which somehow got him an oscar nomination...]. If you are avoiding the movie because he is in it i'd say you should give it a shot because i have never seen him come close to this performance. Mia Wasikowska gives a solid performance and Wallace Shawn pops in once in a while and made an impression on me (not because of his acting but something about him got my attention). Overall a fine performance from all involved.

The story is an experience. It is completely captivating even if sometimes you know where it's going. I wont say anymore because is think there is not much to tale this is an abstract way to tell a story from one mans prospective and it offers some food for thought.

I enjoyed this film more than i thought i would. I can't wait to see what Ayoade has in store next because so far his films have been superb.