The Double

Based on the novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Double stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as Simon, a timid office drone in the midst of an existential crisis.

Unappreciated at work, scorned by his ailing mother and invisible to the woman he loves (Mia Wasikowska), Simon is — in the words of a tactless co-worker — “a bit of a non-person”. The unexpected arrival of Simon’s roguish doppelganger is a catalyst but also a mixed omen: will he seize control of his life or disappear completely?

Marrying melancholy and black wit with an oppressive, dystopian setting, The Double is a haunting satire in the vein of Terry Gilliam’s magnum opus, Brazil. It’s also further proof that director Richard Ayoade (Submarine) is one of Britain’s most distinctive filmmakers. (JH)

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