Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

A Diffrent Man 

This film is one of the most compelling, thought provoking films I have seen all year with a career best performance from Sebastian Stan at the centre of it! Now this film is gut wrenching, eye opening and truly one of the most creative takes on fixing one’s self in order to feel more comfortable in their own skin. Now this film has a feel to the frame that is dramatic but also an over arching tone of heartbreak that is felt in each inch of this film and is hatefully presented by everyone involved. 

Firstly, The film deals with so many themes that will hit you like a punch to the chest! Now the way this film deals with self loathing with one’s body image is shown in such an emotional vulnerable and raw way that will rattle you. The film is being called the male equivalent of the Substance I can see comparisons but they’re very different tone wise. As The Substance is about females beauty standards and the horrible visual completion woman face in their day to day lives. Now the film shows this man who has been walking around day to day with a condition he has had since he was born that made his face different then most people which to the average person on the street when seeing him feels uncomfortable and want to walk on the other side of the street and some others may even laugh at him for his appearance which only makes him sink further into a depression and sadness to hate the skin he resides in. It is a film that shows regardless of how one looks you shouldn’t look down on others for their appliance as you don’t know what their going through and how that mistreatment can affect them on a deep emotional and mental level. As their is so little for him to see positive within himself as the only person that is nice to him is his next door neighbour who looks past his looks and sees him for who he is not just his visual look. Their is a beauty in that as she is the only person that treats him like a person and not as someone who is appalled by his appearance and due to this kindness he thinks she might even find him attractive romantically so he thinks the best course of action is to try to fix his face as then he can not only be deemed accepted by society but also maybe she will go out with him. The film goes through the maze and depths of what it means to accept yourself and be happy within your own body as when he alters his appearance he sees the ripple affect that happens when he kills off that old version of himself and sheds himself of that original self to form a new one. The catch is though people miss who he used to be and even though he is deemed ‘ pretty or acceptable’’ he still isn’t happy as he longs for that sense of being wanted and loved. The film also introduces later on a character that has the facial condition he had before he transformed his face and sees that people want to be around this person and that he lights up a room when walking in it and so their is a lot of self reflection of that is what he used to look like so why didn’t he get the same amount of love and attention so in a way he feels this person has stolen his life. So the film does tackle very blunt and emotionally sincere themes that will have you think long after the film is over with how we as a society can better treat others around us but also know that we aren’t perfect but to love ourselves for who we are and not seek out to fix ourselves psychically and their is a profound message in that and the way the film deals with self love and all of the depressing nature of hating one self due to their appearance is devastating but shown in a very honest depiction. The way the story is tackled and brought to the screen is done with such a tender and gentle way that has a very emotional impact and it ripped through each frame of the film. 

Secondly, The performance from Sebastian Stan is utterly gut wrenching and will have you in tears at points during the film. This man has had quite the year and here he plays a man trying to love himself in a world that does not love him back and once he alters his appearance what he thought would fix all his issues only made him fall into a deeper depression. Sebastian is tremendous in this film and I would go as far as saying it is his finest work I have ever seen as of now from him as he pours his entire body and soul into this emotionally charged performance that will leave you in shambles. Then you have Adam Pearson who plays this kind hearted man who means well in every social interaction he has with everyone but their is a uncertain feeling you have if he knows the emotional pain he is conflicting on Sebastian’s character or if he is totally oblivious of his pain he is suffering from in silence. It is a performance that will put a smile on your face and make you see just the way he views the world regardless of how he looks he tries his best to be the best version of himself and he radiates light in every room he walks in and the supporting turn given by Pearson is truly outstanding! Overall everyone in the cast is solid but it is the two performances given by both Stan and Pearson that will blow you away. 

Lastly, A Different Man is one of the most devastatingly profound films I have seen in many many years that will have you discussing its themes, performances and narrative for a long time after the film is done. This film will have you looking at how we treat one another in a different way as it plunges itself into deep emotional areas that results in hard hitting emotional honesty that will leave you shaken and thinking throughly about how society treats others that look different. A Different Man is one of the best acted and most emotionally gripping films I’ve seen all year! 

The film centres around a man who lives with a facial condition that to many would feel is visually hard to look at. When he sinks into a depression of how to deal with all the laughs and judgment thrown his way he undergoes a pharmaceutical drug trial to make himself appear better to not just to others but himself but was it the right choice?

Rated R : Sexual Content|Language|Graphic Nudity|Some Violent Content)

Sebastian Stan : Stan delivers what I think is as of now his finest work of his career with his role in this film. Now Sebastian has been branching out to try new things outside of the marvel tentpole films for a while now. He gave a terrific supporting turn in 2017’s I, Tonya and I said then he should explore more dramatic work as that was the first time we got to see him try something acting wise we hadn’t seen him explore. So now we are getting 2 films this year from him both of which showcase his talents in an outstanding way and his contribution to this film is amazing. He plays this man who walks through life with his head down and constantly looking like he’s on the verge of tears due to how he’s viewed by society. He is very isolated as he lives alone his social life is barely alive his romantic life is non existent and to the point he thinks what kind of woman would love a man like him which is heartbreaking. He has a neighbour that sees passed what many people can’t and wants to actively talk to him and spend time with him and you can see his eyes light up that someone is able to treat him as a human being and not disregard him at first glance. Sebastian Stan presents this very gentle and emotionally exhausted aspect of this characters heart in a way that makes you ache for him and want him to feel appreciated and seen. There is a moment of transition psychically he undergoes where he rips the old skin of himself off to eventually shed a new look on himself. When that switch happens Sebastian Stan carries that new version of  himself with a more higher confidence but still trying to adjust to the new ways of seeing himself vastly different then he used to. Sebastian Stan in the first 25 minutes plays this socially quiet and emotionally shattered man that results to surgery to feel more comfortable in his own flesh but when he makes the change to his appearance he enjoys the new look to himself but it does not last long. He bears his heart in that first half of the film in a way that makes your heart break for him but even though some people deem him to be a good looking guy later on he sinks further into a depression one that he never hit before he changed what he looked like. He encounters a man that had the facial condition he had and he sees how happy and full of life he is but he never sees it as a bother or a negative thing he lets out positive energy and draws people in due to his great outlook and shining personality. Which then makes Sebastian’s character ask himself why do people love him as he looked like him at one point and no one loved him but now that he’s different he is still unhappy if not more then he ever was. You see him see that people missed the original version of who he used to be and it confuses him mentally and emotionally as he thought he would never be loved if he didn’t change who he was but then he sees reconfiguring his face only brought him more emotional turmoil instead of joy and the way Sebastian is able to show the seeds of resentment and jealously slowly build up overtime was phenomenal. As they even make a play out of his old self and is told that he is not as qualified to play the role as the man who has the face condition he used to have only makes him feel in so many ways the man stole his life and his identity in a way. He sees how much the death of his old self has been missed by so many and his current self is just floating through life the massive ripple effect he did by changing who he was he has no idea it would impact so many people the way it did. Sebastian Stan delivers this devastating performance of a deep depression and compressed anger that just washes over  him eventually but he does his best to keep it to himself. You can see the raw seeping anger just fill his eyes and his tone even if he tries to not let what’s happening to get to him it becomes harder and harder for him to mask until he eventually snaps. As no one knows he changed his appearance only he does so he’s living this life of a man that has a new name and he is essentially being a version of himself that’s not  true and authentic to who he is and he now has to live in a skin that isn’t who he used to be. Its such a complex character who has a huge display of emotional depths and valleys he goes on and Sebastian Stan not only rises to the occasion to bring this emotionally torn apart human to the screen but does it in such a way you are in constant awe of what he’s giving to the role. He plays a man of so many stages emotionally he goes through as it starts off as sadness and his final emotional layer he sheds  is that of resentment and anger and Sebastian Stan is emotionally charged giving what I think is the best performance of his career he is truly operating on a emotional level we have not seen before. 

Adam Pearson : Adam gives a tender but emotionally pure performance that really impressed me! Now I had no knowledge on Adam’s previous work before seeing him in this film. After seeing his contribution to the film I’ll definitely keep an eye out for whatever he does next as his work on this film was remarkable. He plays this man that is a fan of theatre and has the same facial condition that Sebastian Stan’s character once had only difference is he dose not see it as a negative thing that’s happened to him. He acknowledges it but does not make it a defining characteristic of who he is and their is a beauty in the way he carries himself that in a way is very moving as he just wants to make friends and add his contribution to society in a positive way. He never lays in sorrow or despair due to his appearance he makes the most of his life and enjoys it something that Stan’s character does not learn to pick up on and becomes quite envious of how care free he is as he does not view the world the same way. The approach Adam brought to the character is amazing as his facial condition is not makeup that is his real life appearance but they never feel like they exploit his face or life for entertainment or make jabs about him if anything they bring awareness in a very well done way about his appearance. He brings a soulful and tender look to what many can say in a lot of ways is a autobiographical performance of himself as theirs not much “acting” he has to do to find the truth and emotion of the person he is playing as quite a lot if not all of it he has experienced first hand. Adam also though brings a quality to the performance that makes you wonder if he’s aware of the pain emotionally he’s been inflicting on Sebastian Stan’s character or is he so selfless that he is totally unaware of his impact on Sebastian’s heart. I think it’s the second one but he still though has this feeling that their may be something under the surface but what does that say about us as the whole film is about not running to judgment which it’s able to tackle within his character development itself. Adam Pearson brings such a welcoming presence that makes you fall in love with his beautiful outlook and he springs the dialogue off the page in a way that just makes you smile each time he’s onscreen. He slowly consumes all of Sebastian’s life but he never sees it that way he just think people like him and so it’s hard to dislike his actions as he means well it’s just that what ends up to become more opportunities for him end up becoming the building blocks to Sebastian Stan’s downfall of his life. He tries in many attempts to become friends with Stan’s character but he has no idea his joy and happiness is what is making him miserable at a point.  Adam brings this fantastic supporting turn that shows to value everyday your here regardless of your health situation and to always see the positive even if it’s hard to at times in a very raw and emotional way. He has such a gentle heart and gleam in his eyes that radiates charm and charisma that is amazingly well shown in one of the most beautiful performances I’ve seen all year. a lot of the acclaim is going to Sebastian Stan but not nearly enough attention is being shown to Adam’s performance he is as good as Stan both of them deliver knockout performances and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves as his work onscreen is truly touching a tremendous performance. 

Aaron Schimberg : Aaron gives a sensational job at bringing this touching tale to the big screen! This film is able to mix both elements of hard hitting dramatic depths that will provoke deep discussions once the film is over. It also though  even a touch of dry wit and humour in a very smart way that never comes across disrespectful to the subject matter of the film. He takes on a very serious topic but does it in such a out of the box way of thinking it has a certain charm to the frame that comes across both wholesome and heartbreaking at the same time in a well done way thematically. It takes on the heavy story of a man who would rather change his own skin instead of embracing who he is which is shattering as once he does he sees the grass is no different on the other side. The way it’s tackled is so raw and honest in its portrayal of the narrative. It shows this man in a deep dark state due to how society views him and once he sees a man enjoy what he never got to he grows resentful and even angry towards him. It was able to show just how damming beating someone’s down due to their appearance can seriously affect them both mentally and emotionally and make them want to change every aspect of their being. He is willing to also show though the beauty of trying to embrace who you are despite being in a skin many would deem unlovable and how one can try to see the light in what may deem a tough reality. That is why Sebastian Stan and Adam’s performance are amazing due to how differently they both view their situations and Aaron explores the complexity of that in such an entertaining but also truthful way that will move you. It’s able to show depression then snowball through the bubbling mask of jealousy and how it can destroy someone’s life if you let it consume you and become your whole personality and way of the world. Many may not like this film due to the heavy subject matter but I think this kind of storytelling is important and one that will be be picked apart for years to come due to how well layered this film is. Aaron did a great job at exploring insecurity and jealousy in a way that will move you while ending on a note that is left up to the viewers of how the story concludes. this  is a film that benifits from a film left up to interpretation Aaron did a great job at crafting this story that is unlike anything I’ve seen all year and one of the most striking and well explored films of depression I’ve seen all year Aaron did a phenomenal job.