Enemy (2013)

"Chaos is order yet undeciphered."

A man seeks out his doppelgänger after spotting him in a movie. 

Denis Villeneuve is an interesting director that’s been doing pretty well recently with his films ‘Prisoners’ and ‘Sicario’ so I was curious to check out some more of his work. FYI, if you haven't seen 'Prisoners' already then I highly recommend it... Anyway, I stumbled upon the trailer for ‘Enemy’ by accident and was intrigued by the dark and cryptic atmosphere that it had. I realised it was directed by Villeneuve so I got my hands on a copy and put it on without knowing much else about it. 

‘Enemy’ turned out to be a film that is as mysterious as it is puzzling. 

I don't think I'm at any risk of revealing spoilers because, even if I did, it still wouldn't make 100% sense... 

The film starts off with Adam Bell, a History professor played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who seems to be permanently stuck in a monotonous routine. One night, he breaks that routine to watch a movie where he spots an extra in the background who looks exactly like him. We follow his journey discovering who the man in the film is and why they look so alike. 

‘Enemy’ is definitely a slow burner. It's in no rush and it gives the story plenty of space to breathe and build the mystery and the characters. As things begin to unravel and the plot thickens, Adam faces some difficult choices and it gets undeniably tense. There’s a sense of dread that hangs over the film like a black cloud. You don’t really know where it’s going but you know it’s not going to be good. 

Gyllenhaal impresses once again by playing two characters in one film, much like Tom Hardy in ‘Legend’, both Adam and Anthony are played by Gyllenhaal. He creates two entirely individual characters that he develops and brings alive with intelligence and style. There are nuances and subtleties to each of the characters that most actors would struggle to bring out in one character let alone two. Both characters have to exist separately while still being able to interact with each other in the same scene. You'll forget that Gyllenhaal is both characters as you make the separation yourself and, after a while, you can recognise which character is which just by how he is acting.

The tone and style of the film is an exciting blend of Hitchcock and Kubrick, who happen to be my favourite directors. You’ve got classic tension and mystery, which feels very reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, and these elements are then wrapped in a puzzle that leaves you perplexed but curious to explore the possible answers, much like how Stanley Kubrick’s films leave you.

The cinematography is beautiful. Balancing a washed out, stark colour scheme that is contrasted with harsh, sharp yellows and blacks. Add this to the fluid tracking shots and intricate composition and it makes for a feast for the eyes and really sets the tone for the film and builds more layers of tension. It looks as strange as the film is and contributes a lot to the films style.

‘Enemy’ has layers on top of layers and explores the depths of the male psyche through Gyllenhaal’s characters Adam/Anthony. It examines a lot of interesting themes and it heavily deals with masculinity, control and infidelity.

It has recurring ideas and motifs that only become clear after the film has finished and you analyse what you've just seen. I have a theory as to what it all means but there is still a lot to discover in the film. It merits a second and even a third viewing just to get it all solidified in your head.

Overall, ‘Enemy’ is a very dark, complex and secretive film that gets better the more you think about it and break it down. 

It’s a slow burner with a head scratcher of an abrupt ending but it has a lot of tension and intrigue to keep you hooked till the finish. 

Although I must say, if you don’t like spiders then I’d probably stay clear of this film… You have been warned.