By John Noonan
“Chaos is order yet deciphered” we’re told at the beginning of Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 dramatic thriller, Enemy. Or should that be seen as a warning in this Canadian tale of a history teacher (Jake Gyllenhaal, who also featured in Villeneuve’s more widely seen 2013 thriller, Prisoners) discovering that he has a twin in the form of a bit part actor (also Gyllenhaal)? As the story progresses, the men become obsessed with each other’s lives, and soon their relationship becomes destructive.
Whilst covering similar ground to Richard Ayoade’s higher profile effort, The Double (also released in 2013), Enemy, which is based on José Saramago’s novel, is a different beast. Despite its brisk running time, it’s an extremely dense film that covers themes of infidelity, obsession, doppelgangers, giant spiders, and sex. Gyllenhaal turns in an intense performance as the two men caught up in this surrealist thriller. At times it becomes difficult to interpret who is who, inviting comparisons to Jeremy Irons’ performance(s) in Dead Ringers. Enemy has an extremely slow pace, like coming out of a dream.
Filmed in half light, and with scenes that are largely wordless or seemingly irrelevant, it will be off-putting to some. But Villeneuve (Prisoners) has offered up a narrative that invites dissection long after the credits have rolled. “You don’t know if they are two in reality, or maybe from a subconscious point of view, there’s just one,” Villeneuve told The Hollywood Reporter upon the film’s release. “It’s maybe two sides of the same persona …or a fantastic event where you see another self. I knew that the movie would work, and that it would make sense only if I had a very strong actor in front of the camera. I learned as I was casting that Jake Gyllenhaal was available, and I remembered how strong Jake was in Brokeback Mountain. I was mesmerised by the profoundness of this actor.”
