Enemy (2013)
Denis Villeneuve’s artistic validation.
Presentation:
You probably only know of this film because of its director. This film is very green. It’s almost like there’s no grade on it because of how monochromatic it is. It’s so green it makes The Matrix and Fincher’s films look like Barbie. This hyperbole is just to emphasize that Villeneuve is trying really hard to be an auteur with this film, a metaphorical art exhibition of Kafkaesque vision. It’s so symbolic it’s almost like there’s no actual story because very little is actually literal, only serving to amplify its psychological themes. The hook is provocative though unnecessarily pretentious. The shocking ending with novel camera technique is also quite the visual feat, which also gets used in Arrival.
Analysis:
The spider represents commitment, implying that women trap men with webs before devouring them. The duality of two Gyllenhaals suggests that they are two sides of one coin. Each man has multiple proclivites and inclications. We may be tempted, but only act on certain impulses. I don't think it's necessarily one side is good and one is bad, they are just different just like how ambition or vanity can be a double edged sword. Perhaps it is women that bring out the worst struggles in men.
Conclusion:
An exploration of men’s subconscious desires to struggle to control their split personas. This is not really a film, it’s more of a flex, a visual metaphor when a music video would have sufficed. But we have 90 minutes of loose story to validate its thematic greatness with very little entertainment value. One of those films that would be praised by critics but weakly received by general audiences. But for those that are heavy into themes, this could be a hardcore intellectual thrill, and possibly enlightening for some men in self discovery.
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Recommendations
The art film directors wish they made.