Today’s quick review: Enemy. History professor Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) has his life turned upside-down when he spots his exact duplicate in a film. After a bit of sleuthing, he identifies his double as Anthony Claire (Jake Gyllenhaal), a local actor, and tries to make contact with him. But the eerie coincidence proves too much for either Adam or Anthony to handle, and it begins dissolve their lives and their relationships from within.
Enemy is a psychological drama from director Denis Villeneuve. Enemy centers on the simple premise of a man discovering a stranger who looks just like him. This inexplicable mystery couples with the film’s bizarre imagery, skillful direction, and vague but potent sense of suspense to make Enemy an abstract puzzle that the right viewer will enjoy teasing apart. However, its inscrutable nature and lack of concrete stakes make it a niche pick at best.
Enemy leaves a lot open to interpretation. The questions it asks are subtle and indirect, while its answers are few and cryptic. The plot is a slow boil driven less by specific events than by Adam’s insatiable desire to figure out what is going on. The only tangible threat is the strangeness of the coincidence; it may be unnerving, but it is purely psychological. Yet just this is enough to set both men on edge and send them down a dark path.
What all of this means for the viewer is that Enemy is much more about the setup than the payoff. The movie succeeds in keeping the audience guessing, especially regarding how literally to take its events, but it never grounds itself in anything more substantive than a vague sense of paranoia. For the wrong viewer, Enemy will come across as a disturbing but ultimately pointless watch that never gets past its initial premise into a proper story.
Watch Enemy when you’re in the mood for an abstract, vaguely unsettling mystery. How much you get out of the movie will depend heavily on your tastes as a viewer. Those who enjoy the artistic, open-ended, and understated will find just what they’re looking for. Those who prefer conventional stories with clear stakes and definite payoff will want to steer clear.
For a psychological thriller in the same vein, try the work of Darren Aronofsky, in particular Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and Black Swan. For a crime drama with a similarly abstract premise, try Revolver. For a minimalistic crime drama with some of the same tone and a more grounded plot, try Following. For a violent drama with a psychological bent and less successful execution, try High-Rise.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for fascinating direction and an unusual premise, rendered a niche pick by its one-note story and cryptic mystery.