Double may only be Richard Ayoade’s second directorial credit, but it is likely his most artistic offering yet. This brief whirlwind of affairs, adapted from the Dostoyevsky novella of the same name, follows the increasing misfortune that befalls one Simon James (as played by Jesse Eisenberg) after he meets his doppelgänger – a largely recognised omen of impending death – James Simon, and the latter quickly begins to usurp him in terms of work, love and domestic life, as well as the obvious physical characteristics. Set in an unnamed city rife with depression, loneliness and suicide, each scene is literally awash with darkness with only scant spots of light to break upon the bodies of the characters. In the middle of all this exists Simon, a timid and meek creature who is utterly incapable of standing up for himself and going after what he wants – he is a ghost; an invisible man. Simon’s unremarkable life then takes a chaotic turn with the appearance of his double, who begins to take credit for Simon’s laborious research and steal away the object of his quiet affections, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska).
The presence of James the usurper, the double and all-round destructive force, however, is not all that it seems. He appears one day out of nowhere and, as events unfold, there is a growing ambiguity that makes it difficult to discern whether he is in fact an inauspicious enemy or a product of Simon’s inability to achieve something, anything, in life and no longer be walked over and unseen. Eisenberg drove home this point in calling Simon and James ‘opposite sides of the same psyche’ who could not exist on their own. Simon needs James in his attempts to be more assertive, whilst James’s atrocious behaviour needs to be exposed and counterbalanced by Simon’s more reasonable disposition (although this is not always successful). The unspoken suggestion in Dostoevsky’s novella that what was being touched upon was a surfacing schizophrenia that echoes throughout the display of Simon’s mental degeneration. In writing the interaction between the two characters, Ayoade and project partner Avi Korine created an irreconcilable irony in the fact that Simon can feel so brutally alone and yet be plagued by this exact copy of himself.
However, this being an Ayoade feature, not everything is entirely doom and gloom. For all the grim allusions, each scene is regularly interspersed with humour that creates a perfectly balanced juxtaposition between all-encompassing misery and a playful comic relief that pokes fun at these somber elements. In other words, a most accomplished tragi-comedy. At times, we will find comicality in the sheer ridiculousness of Simon’s misfortune, coupled with his frustrating impotence when it comes to displaying even a shred of assertiveness. In other instances, the levity between filmmaker and audience is far more blatant, particularly in the form of cameos and supporting roles. This brings to light another compelling element of Ayoade’s work as in this film he definitely gets by with a little help from his friends. Paddy Considine gives good game in his small, but brilliant, role as a kind of overblown cyber-hero in a TV show so terrible that it’s brilliant, while other notable British figures in the form of Chris O’Dowd, Chris Morris and Sally Hawkins make their own zany appearances. Eisenberg and Wasikowska may take the lead, but this does not diminish the importance of the smaller roles played by the aforementioned and Submarine graduates Craig Roberts, as a detective specialising in suicides, and Yasmin Paige, as the boss’s daughter. Every part has its own uniqueness and vitality which drives the plot forward.
All this explains, or perhaps is caused by, the theatricality of this feature. Although it has been written and made for the silver screen, it practically plays out as if on a stage. The characters move in space and around each other with the ease of a fluid choreography. Each direction and action bears a deliberate nature almost as if predetermined, whether it is walking or handing an object to someone, and the dialogue is richly varied in terms of overlap, speed and rhythm. The use of sound accords an aural compliment to the internal reactions of the cast, whether it is through the brash running tap water roaring out on behalf of the warring emotions inside of Simon or the growing urgency of the string music as a pressurised unease expands and envelopes them all. This stagecraft gives license to the bizarre episodes we encounter and the peculiar temperaments of the characters. ‘Strange’ is a word used frequently though we, outside of it all, undoubtedly are much more capable of appreciating just how unusual this city and its inhabitants actually are. In The Double, Ayoade and crew have created nothing short of an oddball masterpiece.
Director: Richard Ayoade
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Chris O’Dowd, Mia Wasikowska
Runtime: 93 min
Country: UK
Film Rating: 
