educallejero Well. This was something. The world building was great. I felt they were in a different world/era ala "Brazil" (the movie) But I got bored quickly, only a few of the "jokes" landed, and as a bland person myself, I just can't believe I would take even 20% of the crap Jessie Eisseinberg's (which was good) character took on this one. In the end, dark/black comedies should make you laugh or chuckle way more than this one did. There is "romance" here, and for me is the only thing that really works.

Michael Ledo Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) is a rather pathetic introvert. He is "lonely, lost, and invisible" living in a fictional society that could pass for a set on "Eraser Head." Hanna (Mia Wasikowska) works at the same place as Simon and has similar issues of identity. Then along comes James Simon, an individual who looks identical to Simon James except he has personality. He pole vaults to the top of the corporation without knowing what they do.The film is clearly symbolic and metaphorical, but of what, I am uncertain. One line from the film "giving faceless people immortality" almost seems like a reference to Internet social media such as Facebook. The film is based on a Russian novella by the same name. I have stopped reading Russian novels because there is so much packed into them, they make my head explode.The novella itself doesn't offer an explanation, although three have been offered by critics:1) Main character is insane2) Author is insane3)'The human will in its search for total freedom of expression becomes a self-destructive impulse.'"The film was well done as it captured a mood and allowed the viewer to assign their own significance to it. However, this is clearly not a film for everyone. Those who don't like films with massive amounts of symbolism to the point the linear plot doesn't make any sense, need to avoid this one. Dostoyevsky fans are welcomed. Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity

jpolson-39897 The Double A film review by: Jamie PolsonSimon James is the main character in the movie "The Double. It takes place at an unknown point in time. Simon James works for a company that deals with data living an average sort of life when a new employee joins the team, and his life goes on an emotional roller coaster. The new employee is named James Simon and has an uncanny resemblance to Simon James. This movie uses a lot of thematic elements in it to convey the story. Different character's facial expressions indicate what that character is thinking. For instance the actor who played Simon James was the same actor that played James Simon, so, to show that he was one or the other, he would have different expressions for that character. Simon always looked sad in the eyes, and James always looked proud of himself or not caring at all. One of the other important thematic items was the soundtrack or music. For example, whenever Simon would be walking somewhere, string instruments would play intense music. Whenever Simon realized something for the first time there would be an oboe in the background. The dialogue is unique and funny in this movie. All of the characters say things that you typically would not hear in real life. If you did, it certainly would make you do a double take. For example, Simon is talking on the phone with his mom and we hear him say, "Yes, I know I'm a disappointment." One of the last thematic elements is that the actors told the story partially through their body language and mannerisms; the characters' personalities are shown through how they hold themselves or act. Simon has a mannerism where wherever he is walking (no matter what he is feeling) he always walks with his arms by his side. He doesn't swing them like most people. Hannah, whenever we see her walking, is clutching her purse close to her chest. Harris (who does not appear much) always seems to be relaxing or not doing his fair share. When we do see him on screen, he is either putting his feet on his desk or asking Simon to do his work for him. I thought the lighting was very interesting. In a lot of the scenes, the lighting was dark so there was quite a lot that you could not see. Also, they made the choice to have all the scenes be shot at night. There were literally no scenes during the day. Another technique was that most of the scenes have this orangey feel, so although the scenes happened at night, they felt kind of warm. It also made it kind of creepy. It made me feel uneasy like something was going to jump out of the shadows at any time. The camera angles were a major part of the movie. I am specifically referring to shots that were moving, like running scenes. The scene where Simon is running from his mother's funeral was a long distance angle. The camera was not on a tripod and was very shaky. It felt like I was running with him. The story structure is a very linear structure. It starts out at the beginning, or what they show us is the beginning, and then it just keeps going with the story as it happens. There were no flashbacks, which I thought was an interesting choice. I liked this movie. I thought it was planned out well and it made me think quite a bit about what was happening. I thought the character development was also very good because it really got you to connect with the protagonist at every part. Bad stuff kept happening to him and I felt really sorry for him. I thought it was an interesting choice to show the type of world that they were in. It seems to me that this movie may have been a prediction of what people from the 1950's or so thought the future was going to be. The topic is very interesting. I can see how this movie could easily be based on a true story. To me it was about how the protagonist knows what kind of person he wants to be, but knows that he will never be able to achieve that goal. It also shows the struggles that he faces to try and achieve that goal This movie really made me think, which is the sign of a great movie.

mmilitello 'The Double' begins with an unanswered question, and the story unwinds so at the end you have the answer to the question. The story was linear. It follows Simon James, a quiet, awkward man who one day finds that he has a doppelganger, James Simon.Once he befriends his lookalike, things go downhill in all aspects of his life. Throughout "The Double", it is always nighttime. No scenes are shot during the day. I noticed there were not many sources of light in a lot of the scenes. Singular sources of lights were used often. The room would often be dark and be lit by dim lights. The colors were often warm and dark, there weren't any bright colors used. The lighting used also gave off an eerie feeling. Most of the scenes weren't full of people, and the lighting helped communicate that. The camera work was very straight forward sometimes, while other times it was very interesting. It ranged from very wide shots, to close ups, to interesting angles. This isn't a movie I would usually watch, but it was so different it drew me in. The awkward humor was funny and disturbing. Eisenberg, who portrays both of the main characters, did a terrific job. If this movie had anyone playing Simon and James, it wouldn't be half as great. After being skeptical while watching, by the end I decided it wasn't bad a film.