Richard Ayoade’s second directorial effort is set in a bleak, non-specific time and location that could be the 70s (judging by the clunky machinery and clothing) and could be America (judging by the majority of the accents), but is never explicitly stated. It is a world in which everything is some shade of grey or beige, and, because they occur so frequently, there is a specific unit of the police dedicated to suicides. While talking to Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg), who has just witnessed a suicide, the officers jot him down as ‘maybe’ suicidal on their note pad, casually remarking that the man could have missed death if only he had aimed slightly to the right and landed on some netting. It’s a humorous comment, yet rather shocking and dark. This, I feel, sums up the film quite well.
Eisenberg’s character works at a business company (we never find out what business they actually do) and has done for seven years, yet it is a struggle for him to get past security every day; no-one recognises him, and his boss believes he is a new employee. He lives a pitiful existence, pining after Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) every day and yet finds himself unable to talk to her, looking at her through a telescope when home from work. It has extreme creep potential but is done in a way that highlights his character’s sad and gentle nature. His non-existence is made ever the more prominent when his doppelgänger, James Simon (Eisenberg again) appears at work and becomes instantly popular, climbing up the social and work ladder with ease. Worst of all, nobody apart from James Simon himself notices there’s anything at all similar about them. It’s a strange, detached world that isn’t pleasant to spend too much time in, and the running time of 93 minutes is appropriate; not many films released now stick to under the two hour mark, but Ayoade organises the tone, pace and introduction of characters perfectly.
He is a meticulous director, reportedly spending over six months on the sound editing alone, and it shows. There’s a quaking, apprehensive quality to the music that underlines the film, rarely trying to manipulate your emotions or add to the shock factor as many others do, but merely adding to the sense of unease that is so present here. Despite the trailer giving the impression that this is a sombre affair, this film is also decidedly funny, striking the difficult balance between a dark subject matter and its comedic potential. The sharp and snappy dialogue that is to be expected from Ayoade bounces around with all of the characters, where we see many a familiar face recurring from his previous film, Submarine.
It’s frustrating watching Simon James being constantly bettered by his doppelgänger, but the dual role helps Eisenberg demonstrate just how diverse he can be. The actor started off in comedy and moved into drama, and here he is allowed to do both. While perhaps the shy persona seems to naturally fit Eisenberg better, he does a fantastic job of playing the cocksure James Simon, and is brilliant when the two characters riff off against each other, surely not an easy feat.
This is an excellent effort, blackly comedic and at times surprisingly emotional. The Double showcases Ayoade both as a writer and a director; he’s shaping up to be one hell of a talent.
Beth Galey