Actor Sebastian Stan was just seen as a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice”. Now the next film – a bizarre satire – with the “Marvel” star is coming to German cinemas (December 5th). In “A Different Man”, Stan plays a man with a deformed face whose life unexpectedly turns into a nightmare after an experiment.
The Romanian-born actor, best known as “Winter Soldier” in the “Avengers” films, was awarded a Silver Bear at this year’s Berlinale for the role. Aaron Schimberg’s American satire was shown in the competition there and was a topic of conversation.
Reclusive life and regular ridicule
“A Different Man” revolves around Edward (Stan), an unsuccessful actor in New York, who suffers from neurofibromatosis. The rare disease is caused by mutations in certain genes and leads to visible facial deformities. It is scarred and dented.
Edward lives in seclusion in his apartment and is regularly subjected to ridicule. Only his neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), an aspiring playwright, doesn’t seem to be bothered by his appearance.
Mixture of satire, slapstick and body horror
Through a radical medical experiment, Edward is transformed into a handsome man and builds a new life for himself under a different name. However, his supposedly perfect life quickly becomes complicated when he misses out on an important theater role and loses himself in the depths of his psyche. The British actor Adam Pearson, who suffers from neurofibromatosis in real life, also stars.
The almost two-hour film moves between satire, slapstick and body horror (during Edward’s transformation, lumps of flesh gradually come off his face). With biting, exaggerated humor and some exciting twists, director Schimberg encourages you to think about supposed ideals of beauty and other social norms.
Dynamics between self-perception and external perception
At a press conference during the Berlinale in February, the US filmmaker said he was born with a cleft palate on both sides of his face. Throughout his life he has repeatedly asked himself the question to what extent this deformity defines him and to what extent it also influences other people’s perceptions of him. He was able to draw on such ideas for “A Different Man”.
Schimberg repeatedly cleverly plays with the themes of identity and the dynamics between self-perception and the perception of others. Especially towards the end of the film, the message of accepting yourself and, above all, the power of inner beauty becomes abundantly clear.
