Review of “A Different Man”: Unconventional, provocative film examines how a change in appearance can change one’s identity

First “Uglies”, then “The Substance”, now “A Different Man”.

By a strange coincidence, this month we’ve seen three films about people who believe that if they could miraculously change the way they look, the way people treat them would completely change – and they would feel a lot better about themselves as a result.

The film that left the deepest impression on me was writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s disturbing and unconventional A Different Man. This is a quirky and often dark treatise designed to make us think uncomfortable about our own identity, and how physical beauty cannot save our souls if we are ugly on the inside. It is a film that tries almost too hard to surprise us; some late developments are so absurd that they weaken the impact of the main story. Nevertheless, Schimberg is a unique talent who excels in provocative work.

Sebastian Stan delivers arguably the best performance of his career as Edward, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow in the nervous system and in the skin and surrounding bones. Given his appearance, Edward has made the rather odd and self-limiting decision to pursue a career in acting. So far, his first and only role is a small part in an embarrassing corporate training video on how to deal with employees with facial disfigurements.

Edward lives in a dingy apartment complex where someone is always complaining about the noise, the neighbors grunt when they bump into you, and there’s a leak in his ceiling that gets bigger and blacker by the day – but things brighten up when the attractive, free-spirited Ingrid (Renate Reinsve of The Worst Man in the World), an aspiring playwright, moves in next door. Like almost everyone else, Ingrid lets out a startled exclamation when she first sees Edward, but they become fast friends. Edward gives her his old red typewriter, and Ingrid talks about one day writing a play with a role in it for her buddy Edward.

Now comes the mix of “Twilight Zone” and “Adaptation” and “Beauty and the Beast” and John Frankenheimer’s “Seconds” element. Edward agrees to undergo an experimental medical treatment that could literally change his life – and sure enough, parts of his face start to fall off and he’s able to peel the tumors off in clumps, in a scene that feels like “The Fly” on rewind. Edward now looks exactly like Sebastian Stan, i.e. he’s strikingly handsome. Now he can start living his life!

At this point I thought A Different Man might be a superficial version of Charly, with Edward becoming famous worldwide and enjoying his new life before the process is reversed – but writer-director Schimberg has other (better) ideas. Edward makes the seemingly impulsive decision to tell his landlord that Edward committed suicide and that he is a family friend named Guy. Fast forward a little: Guy runs a successful real estate business, his beautiful face beaming from billboards and subway ads. He lives in a fancy apartment, is popular with his colleagues and is a big hit with the ladies. Everything is going smoothly for Edward/Guy.

One day, Edward spots Ingrid on the street and follows her to the storefront theater, where auditions are being held for Ingrid’s play, based on her relationship with Edward. The great irony, of course, is that Edward was born to play Edward – but he no longer looks like Edward. (He does not reveal his identity to Ingrid, as she does not recognize him.) Nevertheless, Edward manages to get the role and win Ingrid’s affections.

All is well and good until a man named Oswald (played by Adam Pearson, who in real life suffers from neurofibromatosis) enters the picture. Oswald is everything Edward is not. He is charming and charismatic and the life of every party, and he is a much better actor than Edward. It is not long before Oswald lands the lead role in the play and becomes the leading man in Ingrid’s life, while Edward becomes more and more resentful.

There’s a lot more going on, but we’ll leave it at that. With Pearson and Reinsve both doing lively and layered work, and all three leads working together spectacularly well, no one in this story seems purely heroic or even balanced. This isn’t a story that takes easy shortcuts or hands us heroes on a silver platter.

“A Different Man” has the look and feel of a 1970s indie film (though there is a fleeting nod to Lady Gaga that seems anachronistic). Even the futuristic medical equipment looks rickety and old-fashioned, like a prop from “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Wyatt Garfield’s grainy 16mm photography adds to that mood. These choices go a long way toward presenting the film as a fable, a fantastical and dark story about a man who is transformed into a prince of the city but is unable to change his corrupt and twisted core.