Enemy

Plot synopsis:
We hear in voice-over the main character's mother leaving a voice-mail message. She says that shes worried about him and doesn't like the look of his apartment.Jake Gyllenhaal's character (we don't know which one, but find out later it is likely the actor: Anthony Claire), opens a small package and removes a key. He opens a locked door and escorts another gentleman inside.The room is filled with men silently watching a girl on a stage, masturbating. The men are transfixed. Soon two women come on stage wearing nothing but high-heeled shoes. One sets down a covered silver tray. The lid is lifted to reveal a tarantula. One of the women raises her foot over the creature, as if to step on it.Adam Bell is teaching a college history class, his main subject matter revolves around topics of Dictatorship control and how history has a tendency to repeat itself. Later that night his girlfriend comes over and they engage in casual sex. A few scenes occur in which to suggest his life is a series of repetitive patterns. The next day after teaching class, while in the teachers lounge a colleague has a suggestion for a movie he might find interesting. Adam rents the movie on the way home. His girlfriend, Mary, is tired and goes to bed. Adam stays up late and watches the movie. Adam goes to bed, and has rough sex with Mary. She gets mad, and storms out of the apartment. He wakes up realizing that he saw his doppelganger in the film.Adam researches the movie and after searching on-line he finds that the actor works through an agency in his city. When he goes to the agency, the security guard greets him as "Anthony Claire" and gives him an envelope addressed to the actor's home.Adam goes to the apartment where the actor lives, but he doesn't go inside. He calls from a pay phone and the person who answers the phone is Anthony's wife; Helen. She assumes it's her husband but she doesn't understand why he's acting so strange. A few hours later Adam calls again and Anthony answers the phone. Anthony tells Helen it was just a strange fan. Helen doesn't believe him and accuses him of cheating on her.Helen looks up Adam Bell and sees he's a teacher. She goes to the college hoping to find Adam and is shocked when she meets him and he doesn't show any recognition of who she is.Anthony has agreed to meet Adam and they meet at a hotel. Standing in the same room, they are identical - right down to the same birthmark. Adam is reserved, nervous and bookish while Anthony is hot-headed and sexually confident. Before Adam leaves, he gives Anthony the letter, but its remains unopened.Anthony follows Mary around town; he becomes frustrated because of his strong sexual desire for Mary.Anthony goes to have a talk with his mother, thinking he has a twin brother that she never told him about. She denounces the idea of a twin brother and wants to not hear any more about it. She tells him that shes proud that he has a respectable job and a nice apartment and that it was a good idea for him to stop being a third rate movie actor. In the following scene, a giant tarantula lurks among the skyscrapers of Toronto.At another meeting, Anthony accuses Adam of fucking his wife!" Even though Adam denies it, Anthony demands they swap identities for a night, so that Anthony can have a fling with Mary. Once this occurs they will be even and Anthony will disappear from Adam's life forever.While Anthony is with Mary, Adam heads over to Anthony's apartment. He is let in by a security guard, who is eager for another trip to the "club". Adam isn't quite sure what hes talking about but he plays along. After being inside the apartment, Adam takes off his clothes and switches to something Anthony would wear.At a hotel, Mary is with Anthony (thinking it's Adam). Mary panics when she sees the mark where Anthony's wedding ring usually sits and demands to know who he is, as her boyfriend doesn't wear a ring. She demands Anthony drive her home.Helen suspects it's Adam and not Anthony, but she doesn't care. All she really wants is the husband of her baby to be with her. Slowly they bond with each other and make love.While driving, Anthony and Mary get into a heated argument. The car swerves and wrecks violently against the curb, killing them both.Adam wakes up the next morning looking very content. He leaves the bedroom and opens the letter with the key inside. He knows it's a symbol of his cheating nature and he is unable to resist. He calls to "his" wife telling her he plans to go out for the night. When she doesn't answer, he goes to her room but Helen is not there, it's a giant tarantula. The movie ends with a shot of him; his expression isn't that of someone who is scared, rather someone who knows he must come to terms with the fact that he is no longer free to give into temptation.Roll Credits

Tags: thought-provoking, psychedelic, psychological, suspenseful

Review:
It's a very slow moving movie and spends most of the first half establishing the atmosphere and building the suspension but then it grabs you and you can't stop watching because you're so interested in seeing how it'll all play out.
Asking for your attention at all times, providing little clues in almost every sequence & still leaving you puzzled in the end, Enemy inclines more towards art house cinema than mainstream features and isn't going to please every viewer out there.
It tells the story of a college professor living a mundane daily life who later seeks out his doppelgänger after spotting him in a movie thus setting in motion a chain of events which culminates with terrible consequences.Directed by Denis Villeneuve (director of Incendies & Prisoners), Enemy is an ambitious work from the director who, of lately, has been steadily rising as one of the filmmakers to watch out for and is another fine feature in his bag.
The writing makes a fine adaptation from the novel it's based on but also infuses more allegories & symbolism in the form of spiders into the script to keep the viewers guessing from start to finish.Performances by the cast is very good with Jake Gyllenhaal playing the college professor & his lookalike movie actor with fine subtlety & the contribution by the supporting cast is strong as well.
The background score has a pretty muted presence in here & editing has carefully structured the film with layers after layers of visual motifs.One thing that'll bug its audience is if Jake Gyllenhaal characters are different persons or same.
This is a film that demands the full attention of the viewer and the acceptance of alternative ways of viewing reality and alternative reality.Living in Toronto, Adam Bell Jake Gyllenhaal) is a college history professor, a loner, routiner, whose contact with the world outside the classroom is limited to life with his live in girlfriend Mary (Mélanie Laurent).
Summer 2014 has come and gone and with it we got stories of superheroes,dragons,and of course apes on horses!However with the end of the scorcher season comes Autumn,a darker time where darker movies come out and to send of thr summer I end it with a review of a film that tackles adultery,self-conflict,totalitarianism and other much darker themes.The film is called Enemy,and it might be the most compelling film I have seen in 2014.Enemy is the story of history teacher,Adam Bell (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) who,one day out of the blue,gets a movie recommendation EH😃 from a coworker.So he finds the movie at a local rental store and upon a rewatch,discovers that a certain actor in the movie looks exactly like him,minus an awesome beard.So Adam discovers the man is Anthony Claire(ALSO played by GYLLENHAAL),who's a small time actor,who actually happens to live in the same neighborhood himself,and the two look alikes to unravel just what the hell is going on and as a person who really supports going into these kinds of movies as oblivious as possible that's really all I wanna say about the plot.It's a pretty...riveting film to say the least.That being said,this is NOT by any means a movie for everyone!Not just because of the unconventional way the film or the story are crafted,but just because of the touchy subject matter that the movie portrays.The simple story of JAKE GYLLENHAAL'S twin characters may sound like a Lindsay Lohan style,quircky time but let me tell you guys that the story of Enemy,when really looked into,is really a well written and acted story of a man who's trying to overcome his inner demons and personal problems that are wrecking his life and loved ones.It's a hard movie to review and more of a movie for discussion.And THAT ladies and gentlemen is why I like this movie WAY more than most people might!The symbology and images used to tell the story like the use of spiders is great.I love when a movie can tell a story by mere images and scenes that contain very little dialog,it's credit to director,DENIS VILLENEUVE'S excellent vision and the strong cast performances.Which brings me to Mr.JAKE GYLLENHAAL,his performance in this movie is terrific.May I remind you that he plays two roles,which means two different characters,both with their own unique physical trademarks,ways of speaking,even walking posture and that's why I was so blown away by how good,JAKE pulled of his roles.His career has really blossomed as of late and with NIGHTCRAWLER releasing in a few months I've got this guy on my top actors to watch list.There is a supporting cast as well,with MELANIE LAURENT and SARAH GADON both who are really great opposite the two Jakes.I really enjoyed their characters and the raw emotion that they showcase.The movie is technically flawless to me,some people might get turned off by the simple color palette but it really gave the movie the right look and tone.The musical score is also fantastic,you can tell a lot of it may have been inspired by the movies of ALFRED HITCHCOCK like VERTIGO'S classic score.Actually a lot of this entire movie really feels influenced by HITCHCOCK'S work.ENEMY is my favorite kind of movie,one that promotes thought,discussion,and really shows that movies can be SOOO much more than MEGAN FOX running in slo-mo or constant reboots and sequels.There are unique stories that can be told by talented story tellers in ways that may not be told in a traditional,movie way.ENEMY is a movie that sucks you in with it's characters,performances,and sheer mystery at what might happen in the next scene.It's a powerful character study,a really suspenseful psychological thriller and I GIVE IT MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
Reteaming with his Prisoners star Jake Gyllenhaal, Enemy proves Villeneuve's versatility by telling a mind-boggling mystery with stunning twists and turns, deep hidden meanings, and a tremendous double performance by Gyllenhaal.Adam Bell is a disheveled, run-of-the-mill everyman living in Toronto, Canada, where he works as a college history professor.
Not a fan of watching movies, Adam very reluctantly agrees to rent the film from a local video store.
Although there are very subtle hints to the general idea of the story, there is no clear cut answer to the many twists and turns faced within the film's 90 minute run time.
Soon their lives become entwined."Enemy" is not a good movie, but has an intriguing story by José Saramago.
It's fascinating, mostly, but also slow- moving and, ultimately, frustrating.History professor Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads a dull, repetitive life: he lectures unappreciative kids about totalitarian dictatorships, has bursts of largely uncommunicative sex with his maybe-girlfriend Mary (Mélanie Laurent), and otherwise shuffles through the day in a lethargic haze.
Adam becomes obsessed with meeting Anthony, and soon their lives become irretrievably entangled.There are many ways to play a scenario like this one: Enemy could easily have been a broad farce (just add in pratfalls and double-takes), or a heart-stopping thrill ride (mix in life-threatening cases of mistaken identity).
The final shot is less cathartic than outright puzzling, underscoring the completely alien life into which Adam has stumbled once he chose to hunt down Anthony.Whatever you make of the film, there's no denying that this is some of the best work Gyllenhaal has done in his career to date.
After watching it I feel some responsibility to warn you from making the same mistake.As the headline suggests, this movie is a waste of your time.
Sorry, but if you have to read a review to try and makes sense of a movie, then it is a waste of time.
If you love mystery and twisted plots like the LOST series, Fight Club, Memento, Donnie Darko, The butterfly Effect e.t.c. then you will hate this film.If possible I would have rated this movie -7 due to its complete inability to answer ANY plot twists or questions.
Without giving spoilers, the following points are never answered or explained.The opening scene The major plot to the story The sub-ending scene The ending sceneThe whole film has about 10-20 minutes of dialogue, the rest has that 1970's mystery music of the lead character either thinking, walking or following someone.Perhaps these days films rate highly if they don't follow main stream, this is certainly the case here, its definitely original, ill leave you with my thoughts at the immediate climax.I would rather sit on a soiled nappy eating raw spinach while watching a infomercial on kitchen Mop's than watch this film again.I'll leave you with my thoughts at the immediate climax.WTF ?
This movie really was awful....it had the intention of being good and started off with getting you going but the ending left me very disappointed.Although Jakes acting is not at fault here and he was very good, the story line and plot is ridiculous and I'm so disappointed I wasted around 90 minutes of my life on this turd when I could have been scratching my bum and doing something conservative for my time.If you have any braincells you will be very disappointed in this utter doodoo motion picture.....I'd rather watch a cabbage grow!!!
With all due respect to the actors and everyone else who was involved in the making of this film; It was one of the worst movies I have ever seen!My husband and I discussed it at length after we watched it.
Story made no sense.Lots of plot holes.Just because you put suspense background music it does not(!) mean that there is any suspense - if you film an apple and put scary music as background does not make it a horror movie.
with crying and agony, when in real life it would just be "you know you look so similar to my husband"Crap movie, -5 that's my score.Do not waste your time watching this.
Enemy must have been a nice acting exercise for Jake Gyllenhaal but for many, including myself, it turned out to be a puzzle I wish I never spent the time to solve.This will remain a spoiler-free review but if I were to spoil anything...nothing would be spoiled for you, if that makes any sense.
That is the strongest part of the movie, the mystery itself is some sort of a test that wants to give plenty of surprises and hide a large meaning beneath its odd events, but that is the only thing the movie can offer and for some reason it doesn't feel enough for the intriguing experience.The film does have a compelling first half, even though the main character's first move happens too quick and too confident.
Gyllenhaal gives each of those roles an effective character study to root for.There is too many theories to think of, but it's a lot more difficult to see what's the point of this mind game, even stranger is the final picture, it feels like a forced overwhelming revelation, except it's rather absurd than a creeper.
Mindbending films are meant to be this great for sure, but they always have a definite center beneath its secrets even when the puzzle can be pretty hard to figure out, but this one seems to only want to show off the surface and probably left everything else as a total mystery.
What we have here is a waste of time, you can finish reading right now and just avoid Enemy since that's all I'm going to get to with this review.That's really the only way to describe this film, it opens with a series of repeating, overlong vignettes of our main characters daily life that that only tells the viewer the story of how far up his own arse the director is in which nothing interesting, insightful or entertaining happens.
The symbolism with the spiders also did not fit into the movie in any way, besides from the fact that it is totally unclear to me what is meant by it.I like Jake Gyllenhaal as an actor, but the roles he played here are so superficial that his qualities did not come out.I recently watched "Prisoners", also directed by Denis Villeneuve and featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, and i really liked it, so i am surprised about the poor quality of "Enemy".
You probably know that all that must matter something, but you can't care enough to dig into it, to "do research", like some pretentious all-so-smart people call it here.So i wasn't too surprised when i found out that the director of Enemy is the same guy who directed Prisoners.
It's pretty dull to watch, the characters are hard to like and don't act believably and the ending is just about the most disappointing WTF moment in cinema history.
You're just left thinking "Why did I just waste 2 hours watching this drivel for this to be the ending".I really tried to give it a chance and it looked like it might be interesting.
On top of everything, the plot is slow, and the acting beyond the solid performance(s) by Jake Gyllenhaal is wobbly at best.So does anything recommend this movie?
This was definitely made with David Lynch style in mind (very slow act, kinky soundtrack, weird things are happening, nothing is explained at all at any point), so if you're not a big fan of that kind of movies, avoid at all costs..
The film gives small but good clues through out to really find out what's going on, Once again the cinematography is fantastic, Their are great shots of spiders lingering other the city, And haunting beautiful imagery to look at, The directing is also excellent, As well as the complex confusing script, That seems to know what its doing.
Overall Enemy is a fantastic well filmed, Brilliantly directed and performed movie that will sure to have you talking for days and perhaps even weeks to come = 9.8/10.
I watched one on YouTube by Nick Snow that really cleared things up.Pros: Complex story with a lot of symbols and metaphors, great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, good acting by the supporting characters, great directing by Denis Villeneuve, a short runtime, and a stunning endingCons: The story can be too complex and hard to follow, slow pacing, and a poor performance by Isabella Rossellini.
When watching a recommended movie (even though he doesn't like watching movies), he sees a small bit actor who is identical to himself.Thus begins the tracking down, or hunting (if you will), of Anthony Clair (also Jake Gyllenhaal) — A rather angry man who drives a motorcycle and has a pregnant wife (Sarah Gadon).
Villeneuve decided to go abstract rather than interesting, and Gyllenhaal decided to return to his acting roots where strange doesn't always equate with good."Enemy" starts out really slow with a strange, overly intense fascination with orgy sex and weird symbolism of spiders and creatures.
I found the movie to be very compelling and extremely involving; highlighted by another stellar performance from Jake Gyllenhaal (one of my favorite actors).Gyllenhaal plays Adam Bell and Anthony St. Claire in the film.
When all is said and done, it should be interesting to compare and contrast these two films.Final Thought: For many "Enemy" may be a movie that doesn't work unless you see it twice, which is a tough sell.
If "Prisoners" has a touch of an homage to David Lynch or David Cronenberg encased in a sort of big budget, big name, pill pocket (if only to make the film more palatable for the masses) then "Enemy" (even though it also stars Jake Gyllenhaal) is just the opposite; a total surrealist waking-dream that is on the surface hard to swallow, then slowly lures you into its web (like a spider would a fly).
Enemy stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam Belle, a history teacher who lives a boring repetitive life.
(I loved Revanche, for instance.) But in Enemy all the slow pace does is prevent us from learning anything interesting about the main character.If you'd care to see the same 'alternate life' theme worked out far more successfully, try the brilliant Australian film Me Myself I.
Initially unimpressed with the film, Adam discovers something weird in the movie: one of the actors, by the name of Anthony St. Claire, looks just like him, actually he identical with him.
Wow, damn - this is good.Last time we were visited by a great film of the slow , agonizing mysterious kind, was in Polanski's The Ghost Writer from 2010, but the movie is not what makes Enemy like that little extra awesome - the surreal mystery that makes us never really know what happens - we get so incredibly deep mind-blown through the entire film that we do not even know what happened in reality.The ending is open to interpretation - there is an interpretation that is circulating on the internet that could be true, I'm not going to mention this here, as it spoilers the movie, but I say that it is just a well analyzed interpretation - which may well be true, but not necessarily need to be.
Rossellini's character doesn't really work (being a bit too obvious in what she delivers) and I also didn't care too much for her casting since she seems like Lynchian shorthand that wasn't needed by that point.Enemy is a strange film but it is a mostly engaging one.
Also, the acting was really good, I did really believe in Jake Gyllenhaal performances as both or should I say one, I really don't know, but also Mélanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon were great.
As the other reviewer said, I watch movies to be entertained from start to finish and not to end up with a headache trying to figure out what was going on.
However, like many other art-house film, convoluted plots yield few answers, and the ending leaves you tongue-tied and a bittersweet taste.A note to readers: there is no problem with a movie that makes you think.
I'm not sure if the film has one clear answer.Gyllenhaal does a great job playing both Adam and Anthony.
I really like Gyllenhaal's acting in general, and although he is very good in this movie also, it is still very, very boring.