Seeing Double
By Mitch Cooper
Enemy seems like a fairly straight forward film until it isn't. I have heard great things about acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve and this film’s synopsis intrigued me the most out of his filmography. I haven’t seen Arrival yet, I haven’t seen Prisoners but I feel like this is a good place to start before I start following every film he does like I do with Christopher Nolan. Enemy is a psychological, thriller art-film about a history teacher played by Jake Gyllenhaal who discovers his exact lookalike when watching a movie someone had suggested to him. This is literally all the plot I can really give before I start moving into spoiler territory. All I can really say is to have a very open imagination when going into this film.
Enemy is a slow burn yet intriguing look into the psyche of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character as the discovery of this other person drives him into obsession. The film is filled with subtle symbolism and metaphors which really expand the story into being a lot more complex than what it may initially seem. There is some haunting imagery involving spiders and certain dream sequences that add to the overall thrilling nature of his predicament. The camera work, composition/framing of every shot and editing just oozes with artistic craft and integrity and makes the film feel like every single scene is filled with little subtle references to what's really going on. Everything is indeed connected as Dirk Gently would say. The colour palette throughout the film is the most striking of visual craftsmanship that is most noticeable in the very beginning where a yellow tinge is present and changes as the film progresses towards its conclusion.
This is not your typical linearly structured film as much as it may feel that way for most of the way through. When looking into what every scene means and how everything may be actually playing out, you start to unravel a bigger, more complex story than what meets the eye. There’s an internal struggle and conflict of character that begins to present itself. Once your mind is opened to the real life psychological ideas that director Denis Villeneuve is trying to present from experience, you start to realise how much of a technical and visual masterpiece of storytelling and character building this film is.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays two characters in this film magnificently especially since even though these two people look exactly alike you can tell instantly which is which just from subtle difference in facial expression, personality and their mannerisms. Acting wise and on a technical level, the film is most impressive in the parts that involve both of these personalities interacting. Jake Gyllenhaal is so good at acting human and from his subtlety you can always tell exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. Since his performance is also so nuanced you feel his emotions and the real gravity of the situation that he’s dealing with. He’s a damaged soul filled with real world issues that men do deal with. While these issues may be his own fault, it’s still an interesting perspective in how people may view and deal with them.
It feels like Enemy is to Denis Villeneuve what Memento was for Christopher Nolan before he entered the big budget blockbuster film industry. A low budget psychological thriller with non-traditional storytelling that received critical acclaim and led to bigger things such as Arrival and now Blade Runner 2049. He has now caught my attention and going into his other films, I hope he holds it. See this masterpiece if you ever get the chance.
8.5 Jakes out of 10 Gyllenhaals