Beauty is only skin-deep, and it is what’s inside that matters most of all – throughout our lives, we all tend to be introduced to the concept of never judging someone based on their appearance, and instead getting to know them before coming to a conclusion about their character. Unfortunately, life has also taught us that this is an absolute fallacy and that the majority of us make up our minds about someone and their worth within a few seconds of meeting them, as evidenced by the somewhat contradictory adage that we only get one chance at a first impression. Both of these ideas are firmly at the foundation of A Different Man, a film in which Aaron Schimberg (one of the most genuinely exciting voices in contemporary American cinema) tells the story of Edward, a down-on-his-luck actor born with neurofibromatosis, a condition that results in large tumours growing on his face, giving him an appearance that immediately makes him stand out. As a result, he’s viewed as a pariah, with the only work is can get being corporate training videos in which he is nothing more than a prop. However, when he becomes aware of an experimental treatment that may help him with this seemingly incurable disease, Edward leaps at the opportunity to fit into society – but despite it yielding positive results, he begins to yearn for his previous self, especially when he realizes that fitting in is much more difficult than he anticipated. A bold, daring vision from a director who had already established himself as an incredible visionary based on Chained for Life, a film that touches on slightly similar themes, A Different Man is an impeccable achievement, crafted by Schimberg as he addresses themes that are resonant and timely, but yet are rarely given the platform in much of contemporary media, taking the form of this engaging and disquieting parable that is as hilariously irreverent as it is truly unsettling, a balance that works perfectly for the director and his cohorts as they work towards creating this absolutely shattering, a borderline revolutionary masterwork that provokes and comforts in equal measure.

Based on a cursory glance, the themes that are integral to A Different Man are made clear from the very start – this is a film about beauty, and how those who are blessed with symmetrical features and traditionally attractive traits are immediately propelled to the top of the social agenda, and that everyone who does not meet this standard is quickly and decisively cut down to size at the precise moment they dare to wish for more than they can be given. Schimberg has a legitimate interest in these stories, with both Chained for Life and A Different Man being set within the world of show business, which he views as being both an aspirational place and one designed to destroy the souls and livelihood of the majority who dare to step into this sector. The themes are obvious to the point of bordering on heavy-handed, an intentional choice on the part of the director, who refused to leave even the slightest room for ambiguity and the eventual misinterpretation of either the themes or his intentions in exploring them. The result is a film that acts as both a brutal deconstruction of the industry and its preoccupation with beauty, which is very difficult to explore cinematically without becoming too overwrought. It’s a reflective, earnest meditation on how differences can be both a disadvantage for those who yearn to be seen as beautiful, and a blessing when it becomes clear beauty isn’t the priority, but instead, it is the confidence to be different and carry yourself as if you are the most alluring person in any given room, something that the protagonist of A Different Man only discovers once he has made the decision to attempt to change himself, not realizing the qualities that made him so fascinating and adored by the small but substantial group of people that welcomes themselves into his heart are not those that can be found outside, but rather prove to be a testament to his resilience and desire to keep moving, something that the film explores as being far less integral in theory than many may imagine.

Something that has become abundantly clear with Schimberg is that he looks for a very specific quality in his actors, which is essentially the willingness to become a collaborator, rather than working solely under his direction. He is adamant that he is not the authority on this subject, and is instead exploring it alongside his actors, and therefore it only seems reasonable that he would prioritize casting people willing to experiment with him as they develop these characters. He found a perfect kindred spirit in Sebastian Stan, who is undergoing quite an impressive transformation into one of the more reliably intriguing actors of his generation, someone who is not afraid to tackle complex, unorthodox roles based on the fact that these are usually the most stimulating to him as an artist, even if they are far from conventional. He keeps impressing with every new performance, and his portrayal of the protagonist, both before and after his treatment, is a masterclass in subtlety and nuance, every decision he makes being absolutely extraordinary. He’s joined by a pair of equally great actors in major supporting parts. Renate Reinsve is skyrocketing to global acclaim based on her versatility and skill, and with this film she proves that she is more than capable of English-language work, opening another industry to her talents entirely. However, the beating heart of A Different Man is Adam Pearson, a description that just about everyone involved with this film would co-sign, based on how much of the story centres around his performance. Reuniting with the director after his earth-shattering work in Chained for Life, Pearson is incredible – and it’s not even fair to consider him a revelation, since anyone who saw Schimberg’s previous film, or Under the Skin, will be able to attest to his talents. Charismatic to the point of being extraordinarily magnetic, and deeply genuine in absolutely every decision he makes as an actor, Pearson delivers one of the best performances of the year, one that is driven by both a sincerity and a deep attention to detail. a Different Man only benefits from these astonishing performances, each one being meaningful and layered in its own unique but poignant way, coming together to create quite a striking tapestry of varied personalities coming together to tell a simple but evocative story.

Setting aside the more traditional elements of the film, namely its narrative and how it is brought to life in terms of the performances, A Different Man is quite an incredible achievement as far as its intentions go. There is a moment in the film where a character comments on the morality of the play she is mounting, wondering if it is ethically sound, or even frankly moral as a whole, to produce a show based around physical deformity, knowing that the majority of the audience will use the production as an opportunity to gawk at those who are different, which is unfortunately something that has a lot of real-world relevance as far as these conditions go, a reality that people such as the protagonist in this film has to confront consistently. In the hands of any other filmmaker, this concept would be woefully tacky and frankly one-dimensional at the best of moments, but Schimberg has made a solid career out of subverting expectations, and whether he is drawn to this story based on his own personal experiences, or simply because he wants to find the humanity in a story about individuals being stripped of their most fundamental human right (namely the right to be recognized as a person, and not being the subject of needless discrimination) is a matter that is left to our interpretation. There is a layer of compassion that keeps this film afloat, even at its most potentially controversial, something that Schimberg embraces, knowing that following the safest route may seem logical, but would have likely resulted in something far less captivating and engaging. There is a sense of heartfulness that dictates the direction in which this film sets sail, and through some extremely smart choices, both narratively and in terms of its style, A Different Man manages to defy expectations and be this ambitious, daring flurry of ideas and themes, perfectly executed with precision and dignity, while never veering towards being too heavy-handed, a legitimate risk that the director addresses consistently throughout the film, achieving something very special in the process.

Considering the depth of the story, and how it likely strikes a chord with a much wider audience than we would expect (based on how much we can resonate with its depiction of beauty ideals and how aesthetics are the easiest way to achieve success in just about any industry), A Different Man needed to have a much more bespoke approach, in fear of becoming too heavily focused on the most obvious of its underlying themes. Schimberg is a socially-conscious filmmaker, but he is also not one to peddle in afterschool specials or overwrought melodramas that lack substance, despite their admirable intentions. Instead, we find that he is focused on evoking a very particular era of film history, one that goes back to the rougher, jagged era of the 1970s, which is where he takes a lot of his inspiration, both thematically and in terms of the visual approach. This film often plays out like an early John Cassavetes drama, looking at the inner life of a complex protagonist who finds himself in a precarious situation, from which only a radical change (in the form of a rapid turn in the opposite direction) can liberate him. This is far from a polished film, and it is left intentionally rough around the edges, as a way of conveying this underlying sense of authenticity and how much this film is rooted in a recognizable reality that will resonate with many more people than we would anticipate at a first glance. This is an old-fashioned independent film down to its core, especially in how the tone leaps between intensely psychological (such as the scene where the protagonist undergoes his transformation, and the immediate aftermath) and more outrageously funny, with the blending of genres being absolutely masterful and a clear sign of the nuance required to make this film function with this level of complexity and genuine empathy, neither of which is easy to achieve without the right directorial approach, something that Schimberg exhibits without even a moment’s hesitation, using it as one of the many details that drive this story forward.

A Different Man is the rare kind of film that immediately announces itself as a genuinely complex work, and quite builds a relationship with the viewer that is much more profound than it seems to be on the surface. Being able to achieve both is a credit to Schimberg and everyone else involved in its creation since it is different enough to capture our attention from the start, but also creative and daring enough to hold our gaze. We struggle to look away from this film, which could have so easily been a manipulative, overly sentimental bundle of moments designed to stir a reaction, when in reality the intention was to create something intimate and entrancing, guiding us through this darkly comical parable that touches on some very deep themes, albeit in a manner that is much more elegant and charming, something that we find only benefits the film further. It’s undeniably one of the year’s greatest achievements, not only for its message but also its ability to evoke a bygone era, doing so with elegance and nuance, never utilizing nostalgia and instead focusing on the essence of a period where filmmaking seemed so much more liberal. A Different Man is an astonishing work, handcrafted by a director whose empathy towards this subject matter has rarely been showing vivid – I’m reminded heavily of The Elephant Man, a similarly-themed story about disfigurement and finding the humanity beneath the surface, and much like David Lynch, Schimberg doesn’t fixate on the supposed “monstrosity” of the subject, but rather on how he makes every effort to fit into society, ultimately realizing that becoming a part of the status quo is far from ideal, especially when there is so much more value in authenticity, regardless of the challenges that will eventually be faced. A fascinating character-driven dark comedy that is both psychologically enthralling and socially conscious, A Different Man is an exceptional film and one of the year’s greatest narrative triumphs in both form and content.