First things first – general audiences are probably going to have a hard time this movie. Enemy is a gloomy, grim experience. It’s an abstract meditation of how the ugly and cruel side of human nature can infest and weave its way into our consciousness. And you’re going to have to be willing to accept and allow for a different set of filmmaking rules. Viewers may still hate it, but it will help to go in with an understanding of what this type of film is all about.
Director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Polytechnique) returns to his low-budget arthouse film roots with this tale of a university professor, Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal). He goes through the motions of teaching day by day, while leading a rather distant and unfulfilled life in a small and dim apartment. Things change when Adam rents a movie and sees a background actor named Anthony (also Jake Gyllenhaal), an exact doppelganger right down to scar tissue. Fearful but morbidly curious, Adam decides to track down the actor. He soon learns that his double resides in a wealthy suburb within the same city. However, Anthony is a suspicious character who hides some very dark and ugly predilections.
While the film is mostly low-key, the gray photography and uneasiness of the characters lend a consistent and palpable sense of dread that permeate every frame. For a small film focusing on one actor who plays two characters, it’s a remarkable accomplishment for Gyllenhaal. Despite being filmed at different times, when Adam and Anthony are together, it’s a seamless, believable interaction and the different personalities are clearly defined. These aren’t easy characters to relate to, but the actor does extremely well to keep one interested in their plights.
On first viewing, this surreal effort doesn’t give you any concrete answers or tell you what to think. It’s never explicitly stated whether or not the double we’re seeing is literal, metaphorical or a combination of the two – frankly, much in this movie is completely gray and open to interpretation. Much has been made of the odd and occasionally creepy images involving a black spider (including a startling, blackly humorous and bizarre metaphorical image that closes the film). This reviewer had his own interpretation of what it meant, but those looking for a definitive answer won’t find one.
It’s important to understand that this isn’t a movie designed to give explicit answers. And Villeneuve seems far more interested in exploring bad decisions than in overcoming adversity. Essentially, what lures us into making cruel and self destructive choices and the downward spiral that results. And that is what is interesting about the movie. The story is unpleasant in many respects, but the disturbing images and themes on display stay with you long after the credits roll.
If you’re truly interested in seeing a film that totally abandons Hollywood convention, this is a solid example. It’s a symbolic and allegorical mood piece that expertly creates a foreboding tone and depicts a curious spiral into the darker recesses of human nature. In fact, this reviewer’s appreciation for it may even grow with repeat viewings. Enemy is not a lighthearted lark, but it does ultimately meet and accomplish its unique and peculiar goals.