Strap
on your thinking caps, dust off your forensic kit, and find yourself a Sherlock
Holmes pipe and magnifying glass, because Enemy is the type of film that
requires a Batman sense of detection and scene by scene analysis.
STORY:
Adam
(Jake Gyllenhaal), a frustrated teacher, spends his days rambling on about
dictatorships and his nights having mundane sex with his girlfriend, Mary
(Melanie Laurent). And then Adam's life
takes a turn for the worse when he watches a film recommended by a
co-worker. In that film is an actor
named Anthony (also Jake Gyllenhaal) that looks exactly like him. Behind everyone's back and against his better
judgment, Adam decides to seek out Anthony in hope of discovering some
answers. Loud ominous drums, freaky sex
clubs, coincidences, unfaithful husbands, worried wives, and humongous frigging
spiders ensue.
"Hey...hey, Pal, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt ya. I just wanted to say how damn good-looking you are."
THOUGHTS:
The
majority of film enthusiasts will see Enemy in two ways. Either as a complete masterpiece of cinema or…utter
garbage. But no matter what description
you land on, you won't be able to deny how beautifully the movie is shot. The film partners Gyllenhaal, once again with
Prisoners' director, Denis Villeneuve.
If you enjoyed his use of natural light or noir framing in Prisoners,
then you'll enjoy the same magic here in Enemy.
Jake
Gyllenhaal delivers masterful acting for both Adam and Anthony. And when the film switches perspective
between them, you'll get the feeling they're two completely different people. Melanie Laurent, sadly, is underused in the
film as just a sex toy. You'll either
find her yawning out of boredom or rolling between the sheets. Sarah Gadon, who portrays Anthony's pregnant
wife, Helen, displays fantastic emotions.
Her talent helps add depth and suspense to the somewhat confusing plot,
but oddly, a fair amount of her scenes seem to involve dressing and undressing
in front of the camera. Isabella
Rossellini pops in for a few voice messages along with a quick dinner scene,
and a couple of hairy tarantulas stop by to make the viewer scratch their head.
Now
you're probably thinking, "With
great acting and beautiful cinematography, why would anyone think this is total
garbage?" Well, it comes down
to personal preference.
Cut! Dammit, Melanie. You're supposed to look tired, not actually be tired. Look at Jake, he
really looks like he's sleeping. Jake, show her what I'm talking about. Jake? Jake?
IS THIS YOUR
TYPE OF FILM?
Do
you like your protagonist to have a one-track mind that's only looking to
dispose of the bad guy and kill whatever happens to get in his way? Do you enjoy films with silly plots and wild
humor involving genitals, masturbation, or farts? And above all, do you like your films to
easily make sense after the credits roll?
Well…if you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then you
should run as fast as you can in the opposite direction of Enemy. This film requires a crap ton of analyzing
and probably several viewings to nail down what the hell is going on. It's also a very slow crawl with little
dialogue up until Adam and Anthony finally meet, which happens about an hour
into the film. And if you're not the
type of person with the patience for slow movies or ones that require a decoder
ring, then go ahead and pop in The Notebook or Die Hard for the thousandth
time, because no one in their right mind will blame you for just wanting to
enjoy a movie. Now, if you do want to
turn this film into a science project, then hit play on Enemy and then grab a
pencil and paper, because you may need to take a few notes. But before settling down for a confusing tale,
that will leave your mouth agape after the last scene, read the next
section. It'll include mild spoilers, but
hopefully they'll prevent you from throwing your drink at the screen in
disgust.
"Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay? So I like unicorns and faeries. And having a
sexual fantasy including both is NOT a big deal."
WHAT TO PAY
ATTENTION TO AND WTF? SPIDERS?
This
movie is riddled with such heavy symbolism, you'll wonder if it should just be
viewed as a series of still slides over a projector, instead of moving pictures
with sound and dialogue. But fear not,
P&P is here to guide you through the film's symbolic mess.
Usually
in a movie, the first couple of minutes are light on story, enabling the viewer
to settle their fingers into greasy popcorn and relieve some of the day's
stresses. But not here. Nope.
Before the movie even begins, you'll hear a recorded message from Adam's
mother and see a phrase pop up on the screen.
Pay attention to both, because women (including his mom) and how they're perceived by Adam play a large
part in understanding the film's bigger theme.
And once Adam does come into view, pay attention to his references on
patterns and what can happen to them.
Also…pay close attention to how Anthony's pregnant wife acts and how sad
she becomes after meeting Adam for the first time. Oh, and if it hasn't been mentioned already, pay
attention…preferably to everything, especially the spiders and their webs.
Ah,
yes, what about those spiders? There are
theories all over the Internet about what the spiders are and why they're
included in the film. Do not pay any
attention to the jokers talking about aliens and body snatchers. If you want a laugh, then by all means, read
away. But for the sake of sanity once
the credits roll, the spiders—like everything else in the film—are just more
symbols. They have an underlining
meaning to Adam and Anthony. Now, you'll have to figure that out on your
own, because we're not here to completely ruin your experience, only to guide
you. But remember, movies along with any
art, is left for individual interpretation.
And this film leaves a whole heck of a lot to interpret. You might even jump on the alien body
snatcher bandwagon. Hey…to each his own,
right?
"I have no idea what this movie is about, but I'm in it. And I will collect a paycheck even if it kills me."
CONCLUSION:
For
some, Enemy will be a film that's too weighted down by symbolism with not
enough story to fill in the gaps. The
scenes are shot beautifully. The
actors/actresses are wonderful. But a
slow plot and too much analysis, could take the entertainment right out of the
experience. Are you the type that enjoys
a film that can be perceived from different angles and studied until your brain
falls out? Then Enemy will become one of
your favorite movies. If you would much
rather have a movie entertain you with humor and action, then be prepared to
slap anyone and everyone that recommends Enemy.
But no matter which type of movie-goer you are, one thing is for
sure. The last scene of this film will
stick inside your head for a very, very long time. Oh and if you have even the slightest form of
arachnophobia…forget you even heard of this movie or read this review. For realsies.
3
out of 5 Stars (add one star for the
premise, the acting, and the cinematography)
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