Review of The Double (2014) by Facebook U — 21 Jun 2017

The darkest a dark comedy can be while still passing as a comedy. "The Double" still has that core whimsical charm that Richard Ayoade's first film ("Submarine") had, but he went in a very different direction here.

I chuckled throughout, but I'd say it's more clever and witty than it is laugh-out-loud hilarious. The visuals are isolating and claustrophobic, and it makes the film feel entirely unlike anything else.

And the cast is perfect. Nobody's quite likeable, but everyone is compelling. Jesse Eisenberg pulled off his dual roles brilliantly, his characters feel like two completely different people and watching conversations between them is mesmerizing.

It took me a couple watches to fully sink my teeth into the film, because there's so much digest here. It's sort of a "blink and you'll miss it" type deal. The story is gripping and engaging on its own, but the amount of little details and foreshadowing throughout gives it so much more gravity.

It's not as accessable a film as "Submarine," but I have a feeling there's going to be a cult following formed around "The Double." It deserves more recognition, because this is meticulous filmmaking at its finest.