The unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident,... Read allThe unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.The unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.
- Awards
- 1 win & 11 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe piano motif throughout the film comes from the song 'Der Doppelgänger' by Franz Schubert; the words to this piece tell the tale of a man and his evil twin.
- Quotes
Simon: I don't know how to be myself. It's like I'm permanently outside myself. Like, like you could push your hands straight through me if you wanted to. And I can see the type of man I want to be versus the type of man I actually am and I know that I'm doing it but I'm incapable of what needs to be done. I'm like Pinocchio, a wooden boy. Not a real boy. And it kills me.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film '72: Episode dated 5 March 2014 (2014)
- SoundtracksAkasaka Rain
aka "Ameno Akasaka"
Written by Jun Hashimoto, Tsunaki Mihara
Published by Watanabe Music Publishing Co. Ltd (c) 1968
Administered by Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd for the UK & Eire
Performed by The Blue Comets
Licensed courtesy Watanabe Music Publishing Co. Ltd
Administered by Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd for the UK & Eire
The story is about as bizarre as any I've seen lately. Simon (Eisenberg) is a very emotionally constricted and lonely young man. No one seems to notice him or care about him as he plods away at his job making no particular mark. In fact, he's literally a real 'nothing' as soon his work identification badge stops working and he is repeatedly hassled by the strange security guard who acts like he's never seen Simon before—though he's worked at the company for years. Then, out of the blue, a new employee comes to work—and he is the exact double for Simon. James (also Eisenberg) looks like Simon but no one seems to think this is unusual. What is really strange is that everyone seems to naturally love James and he's much the opposite of his lookalike. He's confident, aggressive and Simon eventually learns that he's also a bit of a user. While they are friends at first and James seems to be trying to help Simon, soon you see that James is trying to take over Simon's life and lonely Simon is becoming more and more alienated and depressed. What is poor Simon to do?
In many ways, this story looks like it was infused with liberal doses of the movies 1984 as well as Brazil. While the film lacks the huge budget of Brazil, the dystopian look to this place gives it an otherworldly feel that seems oppressive, strange and gloomy. It also has an odd sense of humor—though it certainly is not a comedy. This actually works well with the story. But what is it all about? THAT is the thing about The Double—no one is exactly sure what it all means. Since the story was written long ago folks have been debating this. Is this simply Simon's descent into madness? Are there literally two of him, a yin and a yang? Or, is there some other meaning? Some will like the film's vagueness—others will hate that they aren't being spoon-fed the answers. The bottom line is that the story is difficult, strange and confusing— and these are NOT qualities you find in a Hollywood picture. As for me, I liked it and appreciated that the filmmakers didn't try to make a film like any other. And, the strangeness certainly wasn't a bad thing. Would I like more films like this? Perhaps I might—but not in large quantities. But, as a change of pace, I really enjoyed the film. Whether or not you'll enjoy this strange film, I cannot say—it all depends on your tolerance for the surreal.
*I am confused. How can a film have four executive producers? Usually, there is one producer in charge (the executive producer) and the others are simply called producers.
- planktonrules
- May 2, 2014
- Permalink
- How long is The Double?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Sprache
- Also known as
- Dvojnik
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $200,406
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $14,646
- May 11, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $1,662,515
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
![Jesse Eisenberg in The Double (2013)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTExMzY5MjAwODZeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDg0NTcxNDAx._V1_QL75_UY133_CR2,0,90,133_.jpg)