A man with neurofibromatosis undergoes an experimental procedure to cure his disfigured appearance in A Different Man. Edward (Sebastian Stan) is an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis, resulting in disfiguring tumours on his face. Edward lives a lonely life in an apartment complex, though he is treated with kindness by his new neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), an aspiring playwright. Edward’s doctor signs him up for an experimental procedure that could cure his condition.
To Edward’s shock and surprise, the tumours fall off his face and he becomes a new man, changing his name to Guy and beginning a successful career in real estate. However, Guy discovers that Ingrid is directing a play based on Edward’s life. Despite initially auditioning to play the lead role himself, Guy is soon overtaken by Oswald (Adam Pearson), another man with neurofibromatosis, who is much more confident that Edward ever was.
A Different Man Synopsis
A Different Man is a dark comedy written and directed by Aaron Schimberg (Chained for Life). The film stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, with Stan being unrecognizable for the first half of the film, as he wears prosthetic makeup to depict a man with neurofibromatosis. Edward calls himself an actor, even though the only jobs he is cast in are anti-ableism PSAs. Edward becomes attracted to his new neighbour Ingrid, played by Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World, Handling the Undead). Still, he is saddened when he discovers she already has a boyfriend.
Edward undergoes an experimental procedure to cure his neurofibromatosis, resulting in the tumours on his face falling off in a body-horror fashion. Completely unrecognizable with his new face, “Guy” tells his landlord that Edward committed suicide and proceeds to start a new life. However, later, Guy discovers that Ingrid wrote a play based on her time with Edward and he becomes obsessed with Oswald, played by Adam Pearson (Under the Skin), who comes across as someone much more comfortable to have neurofibromatosis.
My Thoughts on A Different Man
In some ways, A Different Man is a spiritual follow-up to writer/director Aaron Schimberg’s 2018 film Chained for Life. Both films feature neurofibromatosis-diagnosed British actor Adam Pearson and have plots that blur reality and fiction while having messages about accepting differences. Pearson’s character of Oswald in A Different Man acts as a mirror for Sebastian Stan’s Edward, who comes to regret undergoing a procedure to cure himself of his neurofibromatosis.
A Different Man ends up being a very Lynchion fable, coming across as a combination of The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive. The comparison to the latter comes from how the film changes in the second half to come across as a parallel universe version of Edward’s former life. In addition to Edward becoming Guy, his love interest Ingrid adopts a new hairstyle and personality, while Oswald is representative of an idealized version of Edward’s former life. A Different Man also has a fun third-act cameo, as Ingrid’s play about Edward becomes an off-broadway hit.
As the title of A Different Man suggests, Sebastian Stan has the challenge of playing the same character as two different individuals, which is helped greatly by the prosthetic makeup Stan wears in the first half of the film. However, the true standout of A Different Man is Adam Pearson as Oswald. Most would recognize Pearson for his debut role a decade ago in Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and he has been using his acting career to fight against the stigma against people with disfigurements. As such, it is a perfect characterization for Pearson to play Oswald as a man completely comfortable with his neurofibromatosis, which includes doing yoga in the park and singing karaoke.
The ultimate moral of A Different Man is that you have to learn to accept yourself in your skin, no matter how different you may appear. While A Different Man has solid performances all around, it does seem to struggle with finding a satisfactory way to conclude the story. However, this is a film still worth checking out.
