A Different Man
This movie is so real because I would too irreversibly alter the fabric of my being for Renate Reinsve and I would too completely sabotage my life if I then fumbled Renate Reinsve for someone who wasn’t better looking than me, but was simply a better man. In fact, I would’ve actually killed myself.
That all being said, I was so scared about 40 minutes in that this exciting and increasingly interesting film would be reduced to a body horror flick. What it ended up being was absolutely magnificent. I am in love with the narrative decisions made in this film, how this character that you spent the first part of the film rooting for you come to hate. And they said this in the movie about the play. It’s so fucking meta. It’s so fucking good and this movie deserved more.
The makeup on Sebastian Stan was so good that I thought Adam Pearson just had an amazing American accent, and then he actually showed up and I felt like quite a donut.
The editing this film is at times very abrupt, and I think this would make any other movie suffer, but for what this movie is and the themes it’s exploring kinda allows for it to work, as it mirrors Guy’s volatile mental state.
It’s just such a unique and interesting film. Exploring the idea that the world is what you make it out to by contrasting Edward and Oswald and giving them each essentially half the film allows for the audience for first feel bad for Edward, and then simply come to the conclusion that he’s just a massive chud. And then by looking at Edward and Guy you can see how changing how you look doesn’t change your character, and his beauty couldn’t mask his lack of humanity.
I think the best part is when in the early parts of the plays production, Edward says he has to “be the better man,” by being quiet and hiding who he is. Then Oswald comes in and that whole narrative disappears. Because he wasn’t the better man, because he built his identity over who he is, not what he is.
Cannot wait to see Renate and Sebastian in Fjord.