The first reactions to this year’s psychological thriller,A Different Man, heap praise on Marvel starSebastian Stan, with many hailing it his best performance ever. Directed by Aaron Schimberg,A Different Man, which follows a struggling actor who undergoes a facial reconstructive surgery and becomes fixated on the actor chosen to play him in a stage production based on his former life, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival over the weekend. And the reviews and reactions coming out of the event tease a haunting, complex thriller that will stay with you long after.
We begin withPeter Debruge of Variety, who callsA Different Manthe “kind of oddball satireonly indie studio A24would dare to produce.”
“With “A Different Man,” Schimberg attempts — and mostly succeeds, with deliciously awkward results — to cram a lifetime of thoughts about beauty and ugliness, attraction and disgust, identity and performance into a postmodern meta-film mold that few (apart from Charlie Kaufman, perhaps) have managed to make tolerable.”
David Ehrlich of indieWire, meanwhile, commends filmmaker Aaron Schimberg for crafting such a confounding “house of mirrors.”
“Schimberg creates a house of mirrors so brilliant and complex that it becomes impossible to match any of his characters to their own reflections, and absolutely useless to reduce the movie around them to the stuff of moral instruction.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Jordan Mintzeraddresses the meta-nature of the movie, which starsUnder the Skin’sAdam Pearson alongside Stan.
“The fact that Pearson is stricken with neurofibromatosis, and that Stan wore tons of makeup to mimic that condition, may raise a few eyebrows. And yet A Different Man is very much about art imitating life and vice-versa, contemplating the different masks — whether real or artificial — we put on when going out into the world.”
The praise for both Stan and Pearson continues courtesy ofDeadline’s Valerie Complex, who applauds both actors for bringing each end of the dramatic spectrum to life so expertly.
“Stan tackles the prickly, emotional space of Edward, through the physical elements of the character’s change. Stan conveys that trauma with vulnerability and nuance. Pearson anchors the emotional core of the film with charm, confidence, and effortlessness.”
The Wraps Kristen Lopeztook some issue with the movie’s climax, calling it “a tad underwhelming,” but concluded thatA Different Manis no less “worth experiencing.”
““A Different Man” is a fascinating exploration of humanity with Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson being a team I want to see reunite in other works.”
RELATED:First Look at Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice Revealed
A Different Man Is ‘Uncomfortable’ & ‘Dark,’ Boasts Incredible Performances From Sebastian Stan & Adam Pearson
you’re able to check out some more reactions toA Different Mancoming out of the Sundance Film Festival below.
Starring Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson,A Different Manfollows Stan as a man named Edwardwho, after undergoing surgery for a new start in life, becomes fixated on another man playing him in a stage production based on Edward’s former life.
A Different Manis due to screen in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival next month.
