Every once in a while, films will come out in pairs. In 2006, both The Illusionist and The Prestige offered period magician dramas. Last year, Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down both blew up the White House. This year, we’re in for a double take of doubles. A few days ago a trailer dropped for the Jake Gyllenhaal doppelgänger film, Enemy. Now, we’re getting longer trailer (see the first one here) for the Jesse Eisenberg doppelgänger film, The Double.
The Double marks Richard Ayoade’s second feature, after 2010’s indie highlight Submarine. However, some might be more familiar with Ayoade’s work in front of the character in the british TV show The IT Crowd or as Jamarcus in The Watch. The film has already played on the indie circuit, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, and it’s received some positive buzz.
Based on Fydor Dostoevsky’s novella, the film follows a man (Eisenberg) who discovers he has an exact duplicate, who happens to be happier and more successful. If this film sounds similar to the plot of Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy, that’s because the plots are virtually identically, although The Double is being billed as a dark comedy, and Enemy is billed as a thriller. If Ayoade’s film is a comedy, the trailer doesn’t do a whole lot to show it.
The trailer showcases the film’s style and dark themes. The narration from Rade Serbedzija (Taken 2) provides a solid thematic tempo that highlights the film’s literary origins. The Double opens on May 9th and co-stars Mia Wasikowska (Stoker) and Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride).
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