‘A Different Man’ | Movie Review

A Different Man

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Sebastian Stan has had a busy year with “A Different Man” and the upcoming “The Apprentice” possibly being the best year work in his career.

In “A Different Man” he plays Edward, a socially awkward disabled man who suffers from Neurofibromatosis, a condition where tumors grow in the nervous system and skin. He undergoes a special and first-of-its-kind treatment that can make him look like everyone else, but when he’s reconnected with his playwright friend who’s making their debut show about someone with Neurofibromatosis, Edward is forced to confront his past, as well as wrestle with the idea of the condition that he wanted to change could have been the thing that makes him special.

The film is a dark comedy about identity, jealousy, and irony told with depth and humanity by director Aaron Schimberg. Aaron does a lot with this story that I wasn’t expecting when it comes to tone and balancing said tone with humor. The film feels like an episode of “The Twilight Zone” that somehow went missing and is now brought to us from the past.

Edwards’s friend Ingrid met him before the surgery, and the play she writes is based on her experience. It’s fascinating when he shows up to audition for the play that not only does Ingrid not recognize him, but he makes a point to tell her “I feel like I was made for this”. While that is true, he has competition in the form of Oswald (Adam Pearson), a man who also has Neurofibromatosis like Edward, and wants to be part of the play. Both Oswald and Edward are opposite sides of the same coin, and seeing how each embrace their lives, and react to things they can’t control, is great storytelling and something you can’t take your eyes off of.

This may be one of my favorite performances from Sebastian Stan. His physical work as well as his emotional journey as Edward. You feel for him, but at the same time recognize that the situation he’s in comes only from his choices. What does he make of his new life, and what is he missing from the old one? Adam Pearson as Oswald gives an incredible performance, I loved his character from start to finish as just a kind-hearted and joyous man who embraces life with his heart on his sleeve.

Overall, I had a good time with ‘A Different Man” and think it’s worth watching. Great performances, and a unique and darkly rich story that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

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