This 13-Year-Old Psychological Drama Is Jesse Eisenberg's Best Movie You Probably Missed
Eisenberg did a brilliant job playing two characters at once.
Twelve years after its release, Richard Ayoade's The Double remains one of the most underrated movies in modern cinema. Overshadowed by higher-profile projects, this adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel is more than just a stylish reimagining of a classic.
It's a masterful psychological thriller that brings timeless questions about the self and identity into a Kafkaesque world of bureaucracy. It's here that Jesse Eisenberg delivers perhaps the finest performance of his career.
What Is 'The Double' About?
Simon James is invisible. He's an unassuming clerk in a faceless government office, overlooked by his bosses, colleagues, and the woman of his dreams.
Everything changes when a new employee arrives at the office: James Simon. This new employee looks like a carbon copy of Simon but is his complete opposite: confident, charismatic, arrogant, and successful.
This doppelgänger appropriates Simon's ideas, opportunities, and social connections with alarming ease, pushing him to the margins of his own life.
'The Double's Dual Role Is Jesse Eisenberg's Most Impressive Performance So Far
Jesse Eisenberg succeeds in creating two autonomous and psychologically believable characters with distinct lives on screen. His Simon is a bundle of nerves with hunched shoulders and timid glances – the physical embodiment of social anxiety.
In contrast, his James is an upright presence with a predatory grin and an icy, manipulative confidence. Eisenberg masterfully conveys their external differences and the internal dynamics of their confrontation – a blend of envy, horror, and morbid admiration.
'The Double' Is a Respectful Adaptation That Thoughtfully Modernizes the Original Text
Rather than attempting to literally bring 19th-century St. Petersburg to the screen, director Richard Ayoade makes a brilliant move. He brilliantly translates Dostoevsky's existential dread into the aesthetics of a totalitarian office and depersonalized metropolis.
The claustrophobic corridors, dim lighting, and absurd bureaucratic procedures all become perfect metaphors for a system that erases individuality and evaluates people solely based on their usefulness.
Ayoade retains the essence of the original's philosophical question: the double as a projection of our fears, repressed desires, and the parts of ourselves we don't accept. However, he enriches it with a contemporary socio-psychological context.
The conflict between Simon and James is a conflict with a society that demands confidence, productivity, and constant self-presentation.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Double'?
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The Double has 83% from critics and 59% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.4/10.
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On Letterboxd, The Double scored 3.6/5.0.
Where to Watch 'The Double'?
The Double is available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
