‘A Different Man’ Review: A Deeply Imperfect But Well Intentioned Exploration Of Disability And Identity – Sundance Film Festival
deadline.comA Different Man tackles weighty themes of disability, identity, and transformation. Directed and written by Aaron Schimberg and starring Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson, what emerges is a complex portrayal of the clashes between outer perceptions and inner truths and makes valiant efforts towards inclusion to express a vital message about appearance and identity, but the execution can often feel tonally inconsistent, and overlong.Edward (Stan) is an aspiring actor with facial deformities (neurofibromatosis, to be exact), that subjects him to ridicule and isolation.
Though self-conscious and lonely, Edward finds hope when he befriends Ingrid (Reinsve), his empathetic, playwright, next door neighbor.
When presented with the possibility of normalcy through a risky reconstructive procedure, Edward pursues the chance to lead a life free from judgment and staring eyes.
The painful transformation grants him a new face, but Edward soon realizes appearance alone cannot erase his past. His world is turned upside down again with the arrival of Oswald (Pearson), a man afflicted as Edward, now going by a new name, once was, stirring complex feelings of guilt, regret and envy within him.
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