Enemy

After watching Arrival, which I think was my partners 3rd Denis movie after dune and dune 2, I knew I had to show her what might be my favorite denis movie. This movie is one of my absolute favorites to show someone for their first time. The visuals are striking, the atmosphere is palpable, the score is eerie and the acting is imaginative as it is jolting. Seeing two jake's act completely differently and do it so well brings you into the movie and truly sells the idea that there may really be two of these dudes walking around. You cannot imagine these two people would be the same person somehow. The story revolves around an immensely neurotic university professor jake, seemingly being beaten down by the monotony of daily life until he is brought face to face with his doppelganger. He finds himself in a movie after a fellow professor coyly suggests he watch a particular movie. Upon seeing himself in the movie, professor jake is then obsessed with finding out more about his double and begins to essentially stalk him. The story has unreal twists and turns and by the end of the movie i've never known a person fully understand what the fuck has gone on in front of their eyes. The spider motif throughout the movie is the most perplexing part for everyone, beyond the general mystery of who the two jakes are. While during the first watch I think it's hard to understand what the spiders represent, when you see it again you can start to piece the puzzle together and realize the spiders represent women. Which is really interesting because in real life women spiders often kill their mate either before during or after FUCKING so it makes sense for someone who clearly has so many struggles with infidelity to see women as spiders, especially after his wife has become pregnant. The idea of commitment is so horrifying for Jake that he has subconsciously created an awful apparition of women to take their place.