A Different Man review: Darkly comic doppelganger drama is tremendous fun

Edward (Sebastian Stan) suffers from neurofibromatosis, a skin condition that deforms facial features. He makes a living in public service advertising but runs a broad gamut of attention on the subway home to his leaky flat.

Fed up with feeling inadequate around neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), he signs up for a new miracle cure for his ailment.

The treatment comes good on its promise of a normal face, after which Edward fakes his own death to banish his former self. A time later, he discovers Ingrid is staging a play based on her memories of him.

With his real identity secret, he auditions so that he can be close to her – a plan that works until a rival actor (real-life actor and neurofibromatosis sufferer Adam Pearson) charms his way into the production as a “more authentic” version of Edward’s character.

Like Charlie Kaufman rewriting The Elephant Manthis is a slippery, quirk-filled psychological thriller from writer-director Aaron Schimberg. It gets a bit over-excited in the final throes but is mostly tremendous fun.

Four stars