Review of The Double (2014) by Cai C — 06 Feb 2015

Directed by Richard Ayoade (Submarine (2010), co-written with Avi Korine (Mister Lonely (2007)), and loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1846 novella. This is a bleak thriller and a pitch black comedy all in one.

It owes a lot of the works of Franz Kafka, David Lynch and Terry Gilliam, and it's a major step forward for Ayoade as a director, after this, who knows where he'll go, he's made an indelible mark.

Set in a bleak future, Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) lives a quiet existence, but he gets treat badly by most people he encounters everyday, even his boss Mr. Papadopoulos (Wallace Shawn) ignores him.

However, when Simon meets co-worker Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), who lives in an apartment opposite him. He feels he can get ahead in life, but he gets the shock of his life when a new worker starts at his workplace, James Simon (Eisenberg again), who is identical to Simon, but has a more abrasive and impulsive than Simon.

Soon, James takes over Simon's life, and this drives Simon to near insanity, and he has to take action. It's a dark and mysterious film, and certainly not a film for everybody. But Ayoade gives it an offbeat edge with a lot of visual wit on display and a lot of colourful characters.

You won't see another film like this soon, but it shows what can be done with a lot of imagination and a limited budget. Absolutely brilliant.