Friday, March 29, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Movie Review: ‘Enemy’

“Enemy”

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

By Leyla Kumble

April 4, 2014 2:36 a.m.

In “Enemy,” Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of José Saramago’s novel The Double, the film uses the infamous twin trope to challenge ideas of identity and sense of self.

While screenwriter Javier Gullón creates an existential thriller that adheres to the needs of the audience to be shaken up, the film manages to use enough symbolism and disorienting music in order to sustain an air of superiority. A very self-aware art film, “Enemy” maintains its spot away from the mainstream limelight in the way it is shot: with yellow-tinged lighting, and completely in Canada.

Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a teacher, weary of his lack of success. With an unfulfilling work life, love life and social life, he escapes by watching a movie. He notices that the main character is an exact replica of himself, and begins a search to find his doppelgänger, uncovering his own identity in the process. It turns out that his twin, though physically identical, is the antithesis of his personality.

Despite the cliched premise, drama ensues when the twins meet, unlike in most films of this nature. The twins’ individual dissatisfaction with their lives manifests in their plight in assuming one another’s identity and, in the process, they realize the implications of seeking perfection in life.

Courtesy of A24
Courtesy of A24

“Enemy” is brilliantly shot, with lighting and music that adds to the intensity of the storyline. Anxiety permeates within the desolate and bare setting of a small Canadian town. The weary tone, which tends to remind one of the isolation seen in films like “127 Hours” and “Inside Llewyn Davis,” is juxtaposed with the extreme mental stress of complicated issues the main character faces. With a mind-shifting style akin to works by Darren Aronofsky, reality is hard to decipher, and “Enemy” establishes dominance over the audience’s mind.

However, the film’s awareness of its own existentialism as a thriller piece puts a damper on some of the more intense scenes. The opening scene, in which Adam teaches a class and brings up the question of control, frames the story and becomes the theme of the film.

Yet, it does so before the audience can evaluate it themselves. The motivation for many of the characters actions is unexplained and unwarranted. It is difficult to sympathize with Adam’s issues because they are of his own making. The film seems to be less interested in the mystery, and more in human relationships.

Gyllenhaal plays both characters with such bravado and emphatic presence that he overwhelms the other, smaller characters, namely the two men’s significant others. Gyllenhaal and Villenueve previously worked together in “Prisoners,” and Villenueve’s knowledge of Gyllenhaal’s ability allows his character to be tailor-made to his talents while preserving Gyllenhaal’s positive public image.

Though the women have an interesting role in terms of their ability to tell the men apart, despite their similarities, their role as perceptive individuals is belittled by the overbearing nature of the twins. This restricts the audience from exposure to other perspectives of this creepy phenomenon, something that could have enriched the film. Adam’s actions are seemingly beyond his control, making it difficult to understand their purpose.

For all its underwhelming and trite concepts of the mind, Enemy” is clever enough to keep the audience engaged and on edge. The twist ending will leave some shocked, and feeling a bit robbed. However, the ending may also be the film’s saving grace: like the characters themselves, the answer has the ability to be whatever you want it to be.

Though that requires that you have the desire to be completely involved. “Enemy” is enigmatic, managing to boggle the mind, but, due to the lack of empathy one feels for Adam, does not grip the heart.

— Leyla Kumble

Email Kumble at [email protected].

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Leyla Kumble
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts