A Different Man follows an aspiring actor named Edward with neurofibromatosis, played by Sebastian Stan, who undergoes a radical medical procedure to change his appearance. When his new appearance turns into a personal nightmare, he becomes obsessed with what he lost. Renate Reinsve & Adam Person star in supporting roles under the direction & writing of Aaron Schimberg. While I wasn’t particularly excited to see this, I am always down for whatever A24 has to put out, plus it was exciting to see Adam Pearson in a big role again.

Writer & director Aaron Schimberg has all of the right reasons to make a movie like this. Born with a cleft palate, the filmmaker has finds his inspiration through telling stories on characters with facial disfigurement and how the world views them. I am particularly hard on myself at times with the way I look, so I can relate to this to a certain extent. I think viewers of The Substance could say there is some resemblance between the two films. However, I cannot relate directly to facial disfigurement. Even without facial disfigurement, I hope viewers can understand that those with some sort of disfigurement are people too, and that they can still be secure in their own bodies.

In a year that is sure to highlight that he is more than just his MCU character, this is actor Sebastian Stan’s first major role of the year that I believe will take the world by storm. It’s a transformative performance that I believe will earn him an Oscar nomination for his performance. Furthermore, I have him placed right below Colman Domingo for the top performance from an actor for the year. With almost 200 2024 released films under my belt, I think it says a lot about how I feel with her performance. The fact that he has to continue playing the same character both in and out of the makeup is truly outstanding.

In their supporting roles, Reinsve & Pearson help get the overall message across. Viewers might be familiar with Reinsve from The Worst Person in the World & Adam Pearson from Under the Skin – a film that came out a little over 10 years ago! Reinsve has to effectively portray as someone who finds heart over appearance in a partner. Without her character, the film would not be able to effectively get its point across. As for Pearson, I am so happy Schimberg put him into this kind of role. It’s so important to show others that facial disfigurement should not make anyone insecure. Here’s to hoping that Pearson will be in more going forward.

To elaborate on the messages I keep mentioning, there is quite a bit and I am going to do my best to explain them without any spoilers. No matter what synopsis you read on this film, it’s more or less incorrect. It’s vague in its approach, because it’s about so much more. At first, we are made to believe that this medical procedure will change Edward’s life. While it is sad to see him go through his insecurities, we are almost rooting for him as he transforms into someone else. At the same time, how do we, the audience, know what’s best for him? Things don’t seem all that bad for him to begin with.

Once he does transform, his life appears to be better. He’s with attractive women and he has a nice place. However, he works as a realtor, not being the person he once wanted to become. It’s not until he comes across a stage play that was about his former life directed by his former neighbor, Ingrid (Reinsve). As he starts to become more obsessed with chasing his prior life, it’s not until Oswald (Pearson) comes in and truly makes him rethink everything. He’s frustrated by the way Oswald is confident in everything that he wasn’t. Oswald has it all where he doesn’t even with his new transformation. The film paints an important message about embracing who you are and tells everyone else to be on board with it through its positivity.

The technical components help bring it all together quite nicely. The score is probably one of my favorites of the year. The cinematography can be claustrophobic at times, but also uses color to help paint the emotion of the characters. The production design teleports you into the film with the wardrobe heavily symbolizing who these characters are. The plot balances humor with thrills with both being just as effective as the other, making this easily one of the best movies of the year.

Upon finishing the film, I needed time to sit with it due to its conclusion. I knew I personally loved it, but I didn’t know how to word it in the way for others as I could see others not enjoying the conclusion. The conclusion isn’t particularly groundbreaking. It jumps through a lot and it’s incredibly subtle. It stuck with me long after watching it and made me appreciate it even more, because it allows for further discussions of what you just watched. I love how there are important films coming out this year that is making people not only talk about what they watched, but also work on being better people for it.

Overall, A Different Man exceeded my own expectations. It transcends through its themes, direction, and performances. It’s funny, thrilling, and thought-provoking. If you haven’t it yet, please take the time to try to watch it as soon as possible.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)