Jake Gyllenhaal is doubly compelling in polarizing thriller
How does it feel to have a double—or someone who looks just like you? We get asked this question a lot, because we have an identical twin who shares the same genetic template and artistic tastes.
But, what’s the probability of a person finding a nonrelated doppelganger from among Earth’s seven billion inhabitants? To quote prominent skeptic Joe Nickell, “All objects in the universe are unique. No two things that happen by chance happen in exactly the same way.”
Jake Gyllenhaal faces a disturbing dilemma in “Enemy,” Denis Villeneuve’s flawed but fascinating screen adaptation of Nobel laureate José Saramago’s richly allegorical 2002 novel, “The Double,” when he finds out that he shares identical physical attributes with somebody unrelated to him!
The boring life of history professor Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal) gets a shot of adrenaline when a bit actor in the movie he’s watching catches his attention—and, why not?, the guy looks exactly like him. They even have the same scars and moles!
Adam becomes obsessed with the whereabouts of his lookalike, Anthony Claire (Gyllenhaal). But, their intersecting paths get more twisted when they switch identities, endangering even the lives of Adam’s increasingly distant girlfriend, Mary (Melanie Laurent), and Anthony’s pregnant wife, Helen (Sarah Gadon).
Will the experience of knowing how the other one lives bring them contentment—or chaos? But, as the movie asserts, “Chaos is order yet undeciphered.”
Villeneuve cogently captures the dark and dangerous allure of his film’s Lynchian cum Cronenbergian setting, but dilutes its impact every time his main characters display indecisiveness: Adam and Anthony demand explanations for their mind-boggling situation, but always end up inexplicably running away from each other!
Gyllenhaal is a transfixing presence. He reinforces his persuasive portrayals by “committing” to the psychological complexities of each character. The fear and apprehension he conveys are as palpable as the tension that looms every time the metaphorical arachnids—most likely “imported” from Saramago’s “The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis”—appear onscreen.
Those images don’t always add up to something intelligible or comprehensible, but they linger with you long after you leave the theater—because the noirish film’s polarizing final shot is as unexpectedly terrifying as it is head-scratching!
‘The Trophy Wife’
“The Trophy Wife” has gorgeous lead actors and a glossy look, courtesy of ace cinematographer Lee Briones, who’s in top form here—but, its telenovela-scale narrative convolutions and confounding multigenre format will put viewers through the wringer.
It tells the story of two brothers, Sammy (John Estrada) and Chino (Derek Ramsay), entangled in a romantic four-way with balikbayan Gwen (Heart Evangelista) and loony probinsyana Lani (Cristine Reyes), who’s out to avenge her unborn child—and a badly bruised ego.
Fortunately, the meandering tale and soapy momentum of the movie directed by Andoy Ranay play well to Reyes’ strengths, whose luscious beauty vividly projects her character’s vile and vicious motives. Her costars aren’t as effective, however: Ramsay displays a single facial expression all throughout—whether he’s conveying rage, discontent, joy or sexual satisfaction.
Estrada and Evangelista’s underwritten characters are used merely as pawns to keep the turgid story eventful.
The film is as tonally perplexing as its unhinged characters, with dramatic scenes that come off more unintentionally comedic than cautionary, and baffling lines like “Hindi s’ya nagulat, na-shock s’ya.”
Moreover, it wobbles between rom-com and overwrought drama, then segues as a supposedly urgent survival piece—which also generates little heat or tension.
