The Double (2013)Just as every coin has two sides, every person has two personae: the part of our psyche which is conveyed unto the world, and the shadow self which lurks beneath the surface. In the realm of psychology, Freud might have described this as the "id" and the "super-ego"; even further, Carl Jung would describe this as the "shadow aspect" of the personality, the unconscious elements of one's self which we deign to disclose, for fear of reproach, failure, or other consequences. And what if that shadow self were to emerge and wear your own face, a doppelganger living in ways you could only dream. For Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg), how could it be anything but a living nightmare?
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The Double is adapted from the novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and follows the manifest breakdown of Simon James, whose life is already one of an Orwellian bureaucratic hell. His office is a claustrophobic can of sardines, with antiquated equipment and a database which cannot remember he exists, recalling Terry Gilliam's own dystopian film, Brazil, another film where man is made small by the "system". It is a bizarre shadow world in which Simon dwells, where all music seems to be inexplicably in Japanese, and everything is coated in a patina of flickering florescence and rust. Simon is often bullied and browbeaten by his coworkers and his boss, Mr. Papadopoulos (Wallace Shawn), the waitress at the dive he frequents out of some kind of loyalty...even his family. Aside from an occasional indulgence in watching a Flash Gordon-esque scifi TV show--where the hero always has a bold one-liner--Simon's sole solace in his pitiable existence is his infatuation with the copy girl who lives across the street from his own apartment, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska). And yet as besotted as Simon is, he is perpetually crippled from engaging Hannah to break the ice and express his feelings, stricken with paralyzing anxiety. Their first moments of genuine conversation coincide with the suicide of Hannah's neighbor, who even in death manages to steal away aspects of Simon's character, when she reveals he had stalked her in a fashion not unlike Simon. Much of the build up in the first portion of The Double is designed to frustrate the audience into wishing Simon would take action; it is then all the more ironic when Simon is ultimately deprived of this agency by none other than the mirror image of himself, the eponymous double calling himself James Simon (also Jesse Eisenberg). In short time, Simon and James become acquainted, and are even initially friendly, as they bond over drinks and get to know one another's motivations. James does not appear inhibited in the slightest--the polar opposite to Simon and his fear--their bond bearing some resemblance to the kind of bond exhibited in Fight Club...James is free in all the ways Simon is not. His effortless manner of engaging people seems to bewitch all around him, even drawing the attention of Hannah. James offers to coach Simon to seduce Hannah, a la Cyrano de Bergerac, but only serves to further ingratiate himself into Simon's life, rooting himself ever deeper, and inevitably leeching away at his identity until Simon "doesn't exist".
The Double is unmistakably a psychological thriller in the purest sense of the word. Duality is inexorably tied to free will, because free will means that we have consequences for our actions, right or wrong; even not making a choice is a choice, evidenced by Simon's frequent decisions not to act. But the real challenge is in our ability to perceive these choices as choices, rather than being compelled by our conditioning, as is the case with Simon's persistent, pervading anxiety. Simon's idolization of his television hero is because he feels incapable of action; but when he is confronted with James' action untamed by morality, it becomes clear that a balance is essential. Duplicity is a common theme in The Double; Hannah's job is to make copies, a duplicate of the original--even Hannah's name is a palindrome, a reflection when split down the middle. Simon remarks that he likes to think that he is unique, but this act itself is a rare form of rebellion, as it is a sentiment ground down even by his illustrious employer, known cryptically as "The Colonel" (James Fox), who comments in his commercials that "people are not special" as individuals are "processed" into the system by employees like Simon. The idea that identities are interchangeable and mutable is constant, that in this world the individual is sacrificed on the altar of the collective, that deviation will not be tolerated. Even the first lines in The Double uttered to Simon--"you're in my place"--by a faceless drone on the train is not only discourteous but dehumanizing on multiple levels here.
Even deeper, The Double is about our fear of the truth and what it means to have the comfort of our mask stripped away. Simon's confession to James on the train is really an account unto himself (on numerous levels). He describes that he feels like he is "outside himself", and incapable of doing what must be done to make himself happy. It is a statement which perfectly encapsulates the kind of debilitating anxiety which strikes someone who is shy and really afraid of the presumed inevitability of rejection. Even more, The Double reflects (ahem) on the idea that pretending to be someone you're not is generally better received by society as a whole than being true to one's self. James lays claim to Simon's work and absconds with desirable elements of his identity, stealing away who he is because people seen in James what he wants them to see, and instead leaves Simon to wilt in the shadows. This reveals an ugly truism about society--that deep down, most people are shallow and can only perceive the most superficial aspects of a person; they accept these qualities as depth and character because it is convenient. One has but to look at politics to see this behavior in its most concentrated form. And The Double reveals another truth about the self: that we all have two sides, and we sometimes sabotage one for the sake of the other. Just as James steals Simon's work, Simon in turn tries to ruin James' image by trying to hurt Hannah in revealing James for the snake he is; there is no love without hate. Human beings are complex creatures, and our mind can struggle to make choices when we have been conditioned not to do so; but understanding and accepting that balance of ego is the only way to live--otherwise you're rent asunder.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling black comedy about stolen identity in the literal sense. The bleak, dystopian setting gives The Double a cynical edge, but it engages the audience by keeping you vested in waiting for Simon to break out of his shell.
The Double is unmistakably a psychological thriller in the purest sense of the word. Duality is inexorably tied to free will, because free will means that we have consequences for our actions, right or wrong; even not making a choice is a choice, evidenced by Simon's frequent decisions not to act. But the real challenge is in our ability to perceive these choices as choices, rather than being compelled by our conditioning, as is the case with Simon's persistent, pervading anxiety. Simon's idolization of his television hero is because he feels incapable of action; but when he is confronted with James' action untamed by morality, it becomes clear that a balance is essential. Duplicity is a common theme in The Double; Hannah's job is to make copies, a duplicate of the original--even Hannah's name is a palindrome, a reflection when split down the middle. Simon remarks that he likes to think that he is unique, but this act itself is a rare form of rebellion, as it is a sentiment ground down even by his illustrious employer, known cryptically as "The Colonel" (James Fox), who comments in his commercials that "people are not special" as individuals are "processed" into the system by employees like Simon. The idea that identities are interchangeable and mutable is constant, that in this world the individual is sacrificed on the altar of the collective, that deviation will not be tolerated. Even the first lines in The Double uttered to Simon--"you're in my place"--by a faceless drone on the train is not only discourteous but dehumanizing on multiple levels here.
Even deeper, The Double is about our fear of the truth and what it means to have the comfort of our mask stripped away. Simon's confession to James on the train is really an account unto himself (on numerous levels). He describes that he feels like he is "outside himself", and incapable of doing what must be done to make himself happy. It is a statement which perfectly encapsulates the kind of debilitating anxiety which strikes someone who is shy and really afraid of the presumed inevitability of rejection. Even more, The Double reflects (ahem) on the idea that pretending to be someone you're not is generally better received by society as a whole than being true to one's self. James lays claim to Simon's work and absconds with desirable elements of his identity, stealing away who he is because people seen in James what he wants them to see, and instead leaves Simon to wilt in the shadows. This reveals an ugly truism about society--that deep down, most people are shallow and can only perceive the most superficial aspects of a person; they accept these qualities as depth and character because it is convenient. One has but to look at politics to see this behavior in its most concentrated form. And The Double reveals another truth about the self: that we all have two sides, and we sometimes sabotage one for the sake of the other. Just as James steals Simon's work, Simon in turn tries to ruin James' image by trying to hurt Hannah in revealing James for the snake he is; there is no love without hate. Human beings are complex creatures, and our mind can struggle to make choices when we have been conditioned not to do so; but understanding and accepting that balance of ego is the only way to live--otherwise you're rent asunder.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling black comedy about stolen identity in the literal sense. The bleak, dystopian setting gives The Double a cynical edge, but it engages the audience by keeping you vested in waiting for Simon to break out of his shell.