‘A Different Man’ review: Sebastian Stan stuns in one of the most original films of the year

Different by name and different by nature, A Different Man is one of the most original films of the year. Not since the days of Charlie Kaufman, with his brilliant scripts for meta-movies Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Synecdoche, New York, has there been anything this bonkers. A story about physical ideals and the process of artistic creation, Sebastian Stan plays Ed, a New Yorker who has severe facial disfigurement, due to neurofibromatosis. Living in a tiny Brooklyn apartment, he goes about his day as others look away, unsure about where to put their eyes.

Then, in a twist not unlike recent horror The Substance, he is given a shot at a new life. A doctor offers him a trial of a miracle drug. Hours after taking it, Ed’s tumours simply peel away in a scene that feels like a nod to a David Cronenberg body horror. And underneath all those impressive prosthetics is Stan the Marvel star, looking his usual self. At this point you might ask why writer-director Aaron Schimberg didn’t cast an actor who really has neurofibromatosis, but his script smartly swerves such ready-made accusations.

Ed is now unrecognisable to all who know him, including his new neighbour and would-be playwright Ingrid (The Worst Person In The World’s Renate Reinsve). When she meets the new (but not necessarily improved) Ed, she believes the man who used to live next door is now dead. His life and seemingly sudden end inspires her to craft an off-Broadway play, which in a bizarre quirk of fate sees Stan’s character cast in the lead, playing his old self.

It’s at this point that Adam Pearson turns up, flipping the film on its head once again. The actor, who really does have neurofibromatosis, featured in Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin as well as Schimberg’s earlier 2019 film Chained For Life. Here he plays Oswald, an ingratiating fellow who soon becomes a rival to Ed. With Ed’s new look not exactly leading him to the promised land, it all raises multiple questions about identity and how we perceive beauty.

Stan, who won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin Film Festival for his work here, is clearly having a moment. This month also sees him play the young Donald Trump in The Apprentice but it’s A Different Man where he really shines, as a man whose life is seemingly worse despite the face-lift that he receives. The final act, in particular, truly plunges the knife, as Oswald and Ingrid leaves him in their tracks.

Shot by Wyatt Garfield (The Kitchen), who captures the grime of New York City with real aplomb, A Different Man also comes scored by Umberto Smerilli, crafting vibrant music that seems to capture Ed’s shifts in moods. The unbelievable make-up from Mike Marino will also surely be Oscar bound. But arguably the stand-out star is Schimberg, whose undulating script is a thing of beauty. A film that twists, and keeps on twisting, until you just don’t know where it’ll go next, it’s a wild, weird and wondrous ride.

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