The Double

Richard Ayoade's second feature film is a morbid, darkly funny, off-kilter offering that sees awkward but hardworking clerk Simon (Jesse Eisenberg)'s world turned upside-down upon the arrival of James, who looks just like him but is his opposite in personality: confident, assertive, manipulative and charismatic. As James starts taking over Simon's life, things take a turn for the surreal. Based on Dostoyevsky's novel, Ayoade has crafted an insular, shadowy, almost-dystopian world, lit with glowing lamps. The snappy editing and markedly unrealistic dialogue is not as much in the foreground as in Ayoade's debut Submarine, but the comedic and absurdist edge still remains, which keeps the film from taking itself too seriously. Andrew Hewitt's score stands out as particularly impressive; even sound effects like footsteps are turned into an unsettling percussion piece. The Double is a solid step on the ladder of Ayoade's career as a filmmaker; he's got a distinctive style and staple actors to his work already.

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