A Different Man (2024)

3 Stars (out of 4)

About Face

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Fearless and empathetic, but also darkly, bitterly humorous, Aaron Schimberg's strange, affecting A Different Man discusses themes of outward appearance and inward value with fresh, bracing vigor.

Edward (Sebastian Stan) is a struggling actor living with neurofibromatosis. He meets his neighbor, aspiring playwright Ingrid Vold (Renate Reinsve), and they seem to hit it off, though Edward is too awkward and insecure to make a connection. When the opportunity arises for an experimental treatment, he agrees. Miraculously, the procedure works, and Edward finds himself with a new face. He decides to ditch his old identity and re-invent himself as "Guy," claiming that Edward is now dead.

He becomes a successful real estate man, but when he spots Ingrid giving auditions for her new play, he can't resist following. He auditions and lands a part in a play that is ostensibly about his life. Things take a turn when Oswald (Adam Pearson), a talented and confident man, also with neurofibromatosis, turns up and takes an interest in Guy, in the play, and in Ingrid.

Writer and director Schimberg previously made Chained for Life with actor and speaker Adam Pearson — who actually lives with neurofibromatosis — also about issues of appearance and identity, and they continue the conversation in A Different Man. This one uses Pearson as a springboard to tell Edward/Guy's story, demonstrating in no uncertain terms that identity is not necessarily related to looks. (Several characters read or mention Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, which shares certain themes with the movie.)

It's clear that, even with his suddenly-granted good looks, Guy has no idea how to find his happiness within. And it's equally clear that, even with his so-called "monstrous" looks, Oswald has found a way to exist with joy, moving with charm and confidence in the world. (Guy is astonished to find that people react to him with pleasure, rather than revulsion.)

Yet the movie is clever enough to pose Oswald as a threat to Guy's existence, slowly insinuating his way into, and taking over, Guy's former life as Edward. It almost devolves into a familiar formula, but Schimberg stays on point, slyly reversing the positions, and retaining empathy for everyone involved.

A Different Man is a Faustian tale, and a cautionary one, but in the end it asserts that any person may be beautiful based not on their features, but on their actions, attitudes, and behaviors.