A Different Man

In Aaron Schimberg's mischievous doppelgänger tale, a struggling New York actor with neurofibromatosis - a disease which has disfigured his face - gets entangled in a literal and figurative face-off. Edward, an introverted and awkward guy, lives in a damp apartment. Whenever he goes outside, strangers stare at him because of his condition. As far as acting gigs go, Edward doesn't get much further than corporate commercials. Until his face is transformed into that of hunk Sebastian Stan when he undergoes a radical medical procedure, enabling him to audition for the role he was born to play - only to be replaced by a confident, charming Brit with exactly the same condition Edward decided to cure. Shapeshifting just like its bitter protagonist, A Different Man begins as a meet-cute romcom but evolves through all sorts of twists and turns - navigating from Cronenberg to Kaufman - into an ironic satire about how we see ourselves, about the balance between representation and exploitation, and about how we can't shed the mask of our true self.