Two different films about nefarious doubles, and even though both were critically acclaimed, I can really only recommend one of them…
The Double…Jesse Eisenberg plays a ridiculously stilted office worker in a drab, gray existence who’s upstaged by a more confident, aggressive version of himself (it’s a double that only Eisenberg seems to notice looks just like him). It’s Russian literature gone hipster as a Dostoevsky novella is adapted into a Wes Anderson version of a gray dystopian movie. It’s got too much ironic detachment to really explore the issues of isolation and unfulfilled living that it wants to. Solid technical aspects, but the ending doesn’t scream “don’t live your life in your head” so much as “thank God that film is over.” Grade: C-
The One I Love…Mumblecore goes metaphysical. This is a much stronger (but less stylized) film about a better version of yourself trying to replace you. It’s about a married couple trying to save their marriage by listening to their therapist’s recommendation to head to a secluded hillside house. Once there, they’re confronted with more idealized versions of themselves (literally) who try to seduce them. It keeps twisting and turning from there, equal parts comedy, drama, and psychological thriller. It’s theme of not letting what someone could be destroy your relationship with who they are will resonate universally, but I was just as caught up in the plot and trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. Surprisingly, the movie actually does answer some questions (unusual for a fantastical indie movie, too many of which employ vague logic in a pretense that not answering things is more artful) and the ending is a quiet stunner. Grade: B+