The Double is Richard Aeoyade’s second film after the hugely likeable coming of age comedy drama ’Submarine’ in 2010. Jesse Eisenberg plays a downtrodden clerk inhabiting a claustrophobic and crepuscular authoritarian world who meets and then ‘befriends’ his own doppelgänger with increasingly alarming results.
There are bleakly comedic moments coupled with some memorable visual flourishes that add to the growing sense of disquiet. Excellent central performances from Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska are ably supported by a fine ensemble cast, including a fine sprinkling of neat cameo turns.
Yet despite all that The Double never really comes together perfectly as a whole. It’s far easier to admire than really warm to or love, and I really wanted to love it. Perhaps it’s precisely that awkward sense of disengagement so effectively rendered that leaves you feeling a little detached from the whole experience – as Eisenberg’s character memorably points out “I don’t know how to be myself. It’s like I’m permanently outside myself. Like, like you could push your hands straight through me if you wanted to.”
The Double is an inventive and darkly comic portrait of a man descending into psychological chaos. It’s thoughtful, smart and worth 92 minutes of your time.
Infinite Sparks 