Sebastian Stan undergoes a radical medical procedure to make his face look like Sebastian Stan’s in “A Different Man.” But he discovers that changing his outward appearance doesn’t necessarily change how he feels on the inside.
This premise may remind you of “Seconds,” John Frankenheimer’s 1966 thriller starring Rock Hudson in a performance that was expected to establish him as a serious actor. It didn’t, at least not at the time. (But you can — and should — watch it on The Criterion Channel or Kanopy.) Stan has long had the luxury of taking such risks, of balancing his duties as the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with more complicated films like “A Different Man,” “Fresh” and “I, Tonya.” He seems to revel in these stranger roles, as if abandoning his beauty were liberating; he also serves as the film’s producer.
For much of writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s dark comedy, Stan is buried under layers of prosthetics to portray a man with a severely disfigured face. According to press notes, Stan walked the streets of New York in this detailed and convincing makeup, even stopping at his usual coffee shop to get a sense of how his character, Edward, would move through the world.
Part of what’s refreshing about “A Different Man,” though, is that it never treats Edward like he’s a magical or noble being, as many films do when portraying characters with disabilities. Edward is docile and scruffy. He’s an aspiring actor, but not a very good one; his first scenes in the few jobs he gets are hilariously terrible. And the desire to undergo this experimental transformation springs entirely from his misguided ambition.
The intimate, low-key way Schimberg tells Edward’s story matches the character’s demeanor. Shot on Super 16mm by cinematographer Wyatt Garfield, “A Different Man” has the color and texture of a 1970s New York independent film and the sly, absurdist humor of Woody Allen films from that era. This is especially true when Renate Reinsve enters the picture as Edward’s cheerful next-door neighbor, Ingrid, a playwright who has just moved there from Norway with dreams of making it big.
Reinsve, the breakout star of the 2021 drama “The Worst Person in the World,” returns to play a fascinatingly flawed and somewhat selfish character: a woman who can be charming but also, at times, the worst. Reinsve’s goofy charisma keeps us hanging, even when (or perhaps because) we suspect we can’t quite trust her. Edward and Ingrid strike up an unlikely friendship with a slight hint of potential for something more. There’s humor and tension as the power dynamic between them evolves, with each needing something from the other at various points in their relationship.
Once Edward sheds his deformed, gooey face, he reinvents himself as a completely different person: a real estate agent named Guy. (“A Different Man” would make an excellent double feature with the week’s other body horror film, Coralie Fargeat’s deliriously gonzo “The Substance.”) But despite his newfound good looks, his insecurity continues to plague him. Stan creates a genuine sense of continuity here, behaving with the same slouched demeanor and halting speech as before. A chance encounter in the bathroom of a seedy bar is particularly awkward. And when a charming stranger shows up, his identity is further upended.
Adam Pearson co-stars in the film as Oswald, a British gentleman who shares the exact same facial disfigurement that Edward once had. You might remember Pearson from his striking supporting performance in Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” or Schimberg’s previous film, 2018’s “Chained for Life.” His condition is called neurofibromatosis, but Oswald is so radiantly self-assured that he immediately dazzles everyone he meets. He’s a rakish womanizer with a quick wit and an inquisitive attitude toward life. He is, in short, everything Edward has never been, which makes Edward feel all the more desperate. Composer Umberto Smerilli’s rich score beautifully reflects his tormented state, with just the slightest wink.