The Double

Film Title:
The Double

Director:
Richard Ayoade
Writer:
Richard Ayoade
Avi Korine

Starring:
Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska

Production Company: Alcove Entertainment, Film4,
Attercop Productions, British Film Insitute

Release Date: April 4th 2014 (UK)

Richard Ayoade's Wes-Anderson-esque adaptation of Dostoevsky's classic has been met with a reasonably positive reception from critics, most highlighting the comedic darkness of the film and few without reference to the director's previous success with Submarine (2010).

Picked up at the Toronto Film Festival, and achieving an impressive $1,452,099 at the box office, The Double tells the story of the hopeless Simon James (Eisenberg) as he goes through his everyday meaningless life. This bleak and unimaginative world full of obsolete machines, brown wallpaper and equally unlikable people seems to be completely and humorously against Simon, but after witnessing a stranger jump from the balcony opposite his apartment, his life seems to take an impossible turn for the worse. Almost immediately Simon's 'double' appears in his office, and much to his surprise, his co-workers seem utterly unaware of the replica's stolen identity. The mandatory ball the workplace holds does a good job of highlighting the theme of being pushed into  a situation, and having to deal with it however you can that runs through the core of the film.

Dealing with some darker subjects, Ayoade's experimental creation sometimes pushes too hard for it's own uniqueness (do we really need constant droning noises and a violently loud soundtrack to symbolise the helplessness of the protagonist?), yes his unusual style will undoubtedly impress his younger cult fan base if they can handle the next step up in the surrealism. Perhaps The Double is not for the blockbuster audience used to having a coherent plot and eventual end goal, but Ayoade is unarguably making his mark on the ArtHouse film industry.

Watch the trailer for The Double on YouTube here.