Enemy

Denis Villeneuve, whose last two films were the hugely impressive Incendies and Prisoners, has concocted a real oddity here. If you can imagine David Lynch adapting a Kafka novel, then you will be in the right neighborhood! In Incendies and Prisoners,Villeneuve inserted serious moral and social issues in the context of first rate thrillers' Here he follows the same tradition but the tone is more abstract and absurd. Neverherless, Enemy, adapted from a novel by the Nobel prize winner Jose Saramago, is always gripping and totally fascinating. A man (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets a recommendation from a colleague to watch a particular video. The main actor in the video appears to be his doppelgänger and the two agree to meet. To reveal any more would lessen the enjoyment of this highly original film. Well worth catching.

What made Denis Villeneuve's "Enemy" most interesting was that it didn't end how I expected it to. Throughout much of the movie I kept thinking "I know exactly where this is going," but it didn't go like that. It's not a great movie, but I thought that it was worth seeing. I saw a connection to Villeneuve's "Incendies", in which the son and daughter of an immigrant from an unidentified Arab country try to find out their family history and get an unpleasant surprise (I viewed the movie as a look at the roots of Arab Spring). The less said about Villeneuve's disgusting "Prisoners", the better.

So while it's not a masterpiece, it's still a fun, mind-bending movie. I've never read any of José Saramago's work but now I'd like to. Jake Gyllenhaal and Mélanie Laurent (Shoshana Dreyfuss in "Inglourious Basterds") have been making a lot of good movies.

Enemy is the latest thriller from Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, and it stands as a hybrid mix of David Lynch and David Fincher at their very finest. Enemy follows Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) on a journey to find his exact lookalike named Anthony, a terrible D-list celebrity. As his investigation deepens, the mystery thickens and he is thrown into a fray way above his head. What works in Enemy is Gyllenhaal's fearless performance as a man who is searching to find who he really is. There are a couple scenes that he has where is truly riveting and it becomes so hard to take your eyes off the screen. It really is an explosive yet very contained performance that I feel needs a lot of recognition. Enemy marks itself as a film about identity and never knowing who you truly are and the pressures of wanting to become something you're not. While it remains as a heavy message, it still makes for a film that almost demands repeat viewings. At 90 minutes even, the film moves and never slows down enough for us to even breathe. Before we can even question what is going on in one scene, Villeneuve throws us another curve ball to contend with. While that may bring confusion to many people, it is very welcoming to a viewer in the mood to do some serious thinking. Anything beyond that, it may garner some negative responses especially if you're not paying close attention. Enemy works well as a psychological thriller, bringing some of the most disturbing images I've seen on screen in recent years. This film is NOT scary, but it is extremely uneasy and very creepy, especially towards the last twenty minutes of the film, which had me holding my breath as we finally discover the truth of what is going on.

Overall, this is one hell of a film that really does almost require a second (and possibly a third) viewing. I highly recommend it, especially to fans of David Lynch's Eraserhead. The images are memorable, the performances are very well rounded and this is just a very very well done film.

The proper way to watch this film is to be committed to working your hardest to decipher it. I believe the only real satisfaction could be from putting the pieces together in a way that comes to a logical conclusion that you feel comfortable with, because Enemy will not hand it over to you. I failed to commit this much mental fortitude and my viewing experience suffered because of it.

Denis Villeneuve to me is a hugely talented director, and the six films seen of his so far have all been good to outstanding. 'Sicario', 'Incendies' and 'Blade Runner 2049' are especially good. 'Prisoners' was very good and almost great until let down by the ending and while 'Arrival' had its issues it was also well done with a lot to admire.

That 'Enemy' has replaced 'Arrival' as my least favourite Villeneuve film and still manages to be a film of many admirable qualities says a lot about how talented he is and how good his best films are. Can totally understand why 'Enemy' would captivate many critics and on the flip side confound others, 'Arrival' is a very divisive film but 'Enemy' (after only seeing it recently) seems to divide people much more. It's one of Villeneuve's most ambitious films (between this and 'Sicario' as the most) and also his most puzzling and least accessible perhaps. Found a lot to admire about 'Enemy' myself, but it is one of those "highly appreciate" than "love" films.

Will admit to not completely understanding some of the storytelling and symbolism/metaphors, there are parts that could have gone into much more depth with some very intriguing ideas that are not fully explored. It is not always the most consistently involving film either, some of the pacing is drawn out too much and could have done with some more tightening.

Count me in too as somebody who found the ending, one of the film's most polarising elements, unsatisfying. It was unsettling sure, but it was also abrupt, incomplete feeling and left too many questions unresolved.

On the other hand, 'Enemy' is exceptionally well made. The visual style is both attractive and lurid, the dark and yellow hues allure and disturb in equal measure and the whole film is expertly in its cinematography. The music is appropriately creepy and anxiety-inducing.

'Enemy's' dialogue is sparse but when it appears it's thought-provoking. The symbolism and metaphors perplex at times but unsettle and fascinate every bit as much. The story has its problems, but it is a very intriguing premise that has a very creepy and wonderfully weird (drawing favourable comparisons with David Lynch, and one can see why) atmosphere, a tight structure and some of the suspense makes one bite the nails in anxiety. Regardless of what anyone's stance on the film is overall, it is hard to deny that 'Enemy' definitely does stay with you long after it's over.

Villeneuve deserves a large part of the credit for his smart and suspenseful direction. Likewise with the truly incredible lead performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. Sarah Gadon and Isabella Rossellini are both very well cast, particularly Gadon who to me is at her best here.

In conclusion, divisive and problematic but leaves a lasting impression. 7/10 Bethany Cox