British Comedian turned Filmmaker  Richard Ayoade’s sophomore feature ‘The Double’ was not what I expected.  After his Sundance debut in 2011 with the delightfully refreshing quirky coming-of-age comedy ‘Submarine’, Ayoade has chosen to go very dark with this existential black comedy/thriller based on Dostoevsky’s novella of the same name. Thanks to Jesse Eisenberg’s energetic performance playing both protagonists, it is another delightful wonderful movie albeit on a totally different level.

Eisenberg plays Simon James an awkward geeky loner who appears to be total invisible to every one including his mother who shows him nothing but contempt.  Mr Papadopoulus his boss at the Kafkaesque office that Simon has slaved away at some pointless job for years doesn’t even know his name.  Even the Security Guard he encounters every day refuses to remember him.  And Hannah the beautiful co-worker who runs the Copying Department that he stalks barely notice him.

This drab non-existence of a life then turns into a total nightmare when a new man is suddenly employed at the office. No-one seems to notice that James Simon is the exact physical double as the lack lustre Simon. However everyone, including the usually sullen boss, is immediately totally captivated by James’s smarmy charm. Simon begrudgingly seeks out his double’s advice on how to become popular like him, and in return for doing all of his work, James feeds him a few tidbits. Soon enough, the lazy James starts completely encroaching on Simon’s life. He takes credit for his work and gets the promotion that Simon has desperately pursuing for years, and of of course he chases Hannah too.  When James pushes him too far, Simon begins to fight back but no one believes his story and he’s slowly pushed to the brink of madness.

Eisenberg is joined with perfect performances from Mia Wasikowska as Hannah, Wallace Shawn as Mr Papadopoulus, Chris O’Dowd as the mother’s nurse, and a great wee cameo from Sally Hawkins. To be fair though a major portion of the credit for the movie’s success is due to David Crank the Production Designer for his very surreal wondrous stark retro-looking set. With very dramatic lighting and very stylised cinematography, the whole piece is a visual treat.

Highly recommended.

★★★★★★★★