Dark comedy draws comparisons to Beauty and the Beast
A struggling actor with severe facial tumours undergoes an experimental medical treatment and — after some MA15+ moments where he peels off his own face — emerges as handsome as, well, Hollywood star Sebastian Stan. But there’s a twist.
The dark comedy A Different Man draws comparisons, including in the film itself, to Beauty and the Beast. Another relevant, and similar, fairy tale is the Princess and the Frog.
A question the film explores is: should the beauty like the beast or the frog for who he is inside? Will she, and he, be better off if he stays ugly and does not transform into a handsome prince? There are two beasts in the story, but only one of them thinks of himself as such. He is Edward (Sebastian Stan), a struggling actor who suffers from neurofibromatosis, a benign tumour of the nervous system that causes skin conditions.
His case is severe. He looks a little Joseph Merrick aka the Elephant Man. People stare at him on the street. He is considered a freak. His acting work includes how-to-be-inclusive videos shown in corporations.
The other is Oswald (British actor Adam Pearson, who does have neurofibromatosis, and who is the out and out star of this show). He’s full of joie de vivre, offering cheery “toodle-loos” as he dances through his days.
The setting is New York and the plot unfolds in two parts. In the first, Edward is sadly in love with his beautiful new next door neighbour, aspiring playwright Ingrid (Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve).
He undergoes an experimental medical treatment and — after some MA15+ moments where he peels off his own face — emerges as handsome as, well, Hollywood star Sebastian Stan.
The scene where Edward — “same bloke, different face” — goes into a bar to test out his new look is a highlight. Men drink with him and clap him on the back. Women give him the eye, and then more than the eye.
Edward, Oswald and Ingrid are brought together when she writes a play, Edward, about her former neighbour. Edward, now using a new name, auditions for the lead. “I am this guy,’’ he says, and that is the truth. But to play the beast he has to wear a mask or use make-up, as John Hurt did in David Lynch’s 1980 film The Elephant Man.
The spring-in-his-step Oswald signs on as a consultant and this opens the door to ethical questions such as whether it’s ok to cast a fully-abled actor in a disabled role.
Ingrid is attracted to both men. Will she go for the beast, the prince or both? The main twist, romantically and otherwise, is how Edward responds to being so easy on the eye. He comes to miss his life as a beast.
This movie is written and directed by American filmmaker Aaron Schimberg. It’s interesting and humorous — Michael Shannon has a terrific cameo as himself — even if it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
It’s worth watching for Pearson’s performance. The karaoke scene — which seems almost mandatory in any comedy these days — is a highlight.
A Different Man (MA15+)
112 minutes
In cinemas
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