Sorry, this movie sucks

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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.

Actor and comedian Richard Ayoade, best known for The Crystal Maze, made a successful directorial debut with quirky coming-of-age comedy drama Submarine, I was looking forward to seeing if he could deliver with this much darker thriller style film, based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Basically Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) is a downtrodden young man who has worked the same cubicle desk job for seven years, but he is ignored by his boss and colleagues. From his apartment, he often spies into the window of his beautiful neighbour and co-worker Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), who he admires, through he telescope, he sees her throwing away pieces of art, and takes it for himself. One night, Simon sees a man jump to his death from the floor above Hannah's apartment, he talks to the police investigating, they say that if the man had jumped a few feet to the right, he would have escaped death with only injuries. Simon's boss Mr. Papadopoulos (Wallace Shawn) announces the arrival of a new employee, James Simon (also Eisenberg), he looks completely identical to Simon, which causes Simon himself to faint, but James is assertive and charming, and quickly gains respect from his co-workers, who do not seem to notice him being identical to Simon, much to his annoyance. James on the other hand does notice this, he takes pity on Simon and decides to help him seduce Hannah, she asks James out on a date, through Simon. On the date, Simon pretends to be James, with the real James giving him instructions through an earpiece, but Simon becomes nervous, so they swap places, James gets a kiss from Hannah, angering Simon, he next takes James's place to to take an aptitude test, and he seduces the boss's rebellious daughter, Melanie (Yasmin Paige). Simon gets his revenge on James, revealing to Hannah that James is cheating on her with Melanie, but James blackmails Simon with explicit photos he took of himself with Melanie, knowing the boss will believe it is Simon. At work, Simon accuses James of being an impostor, he is fired after going on a maniacal tirade, he considers committing suicide, but stops himself seeing Hannah is unconscious in her apartment, it is at hospital that it is revealed she has overdosed, and miscarried (she was pregnant following her sexual encounter with James). Simon is relieved that Hannah survives and takes her home, but she is still angry at him, she wanted to die, and suggests he kill himself, she then goes through his pockets, discovering earrings he has bought for her, and her salvaged art. Simon learns his mother (Phyllis Somerville) has died, he is angry when he sees James attending her funeral, Simon punches him and discovers that they share injuries; as James's nose bleeds, so does Simon's. He finds Hannah and tells her he wants to be noticed, Simon goes to his apartment and handcuffs sleeping Simon to his bed, then goes to the ledge above Hannah's apartment, steps to the right, and jumps, he is badly hurt. Hannah runs to Simon and an ambulance arrives, while the handcuffed James, lacking medical attention, appears to be on the brink of death on the apartment floor, he lies motionless, inside the ambulance The Colonel (James Fox) and Hannah watch over Simon, the Colonel says Simon is "special", to which he responds "I'd like to think I'm pretty unique". Also starring Noah Taylor as Harris, Cathy Moriarty as Kiki, Craig Roberts as Young Detective, Chris O'Dowd as Nurse, Chris Morris as Workers' Services Executive, Sally Hawkins as Receptionist at Ball and Paddy Considine as 'The Replicator'. Eisenberg is splendid playing both the naive unappreciated worker opposite himself as the arrogant and sexually confident double, it enters similar territory to the film Brazil, a moody movie with a fantasy element, there are only small giggly moments, it mostly feels claustrophobic, filled with paranoia, and arresting visuals, a fairly disturbing but equally interesting psychological drama. Good!

Every day for the past seven years, Simon James commutes to his cubicle desk job, spoon-feeds his ill mother at a nursing home, and retires to his shabby one room apartment, accompanied only by the glow of his TV. The only time he isn't going unnoticed is when his ideas are rejected by his supervisor or he is mistaken for an intruder at his own place of work. Simon suspects that his neighbor and coworker, Hannah, just might be as lonely as he is. Following the pattern of his aching misfortune, however, Hannah becomes all the more elusive as a new coworker by the alias James Simon swoops in to claim all that Simon has ever yearned for. James, identical in appearance to Simon, takes on the role of both villain and introspective device for Simon who watches with agony as James lives out the life he has always wanted.The Double explores themes of suicide and depression in an intimate setting, yet does so in an artfully detached way that resonates with the isolation of mental illness. Direction of photography in The Double phenomenally mirrors Simon's state of mind. The bleak colors represent a life devoid of brilliance and passion. Unremarkable grays and dim lighting blur together, standing as a metaphor for the uncharacteristic repetition of Simon's life. Disabled by his social anxiety, Simon's feelings of inadequacy intensify and he downplays his innermost desires for romance and recognition at work as insignificant. The aspects of Simon's life are reminiscent of the rat race which so many working class citizens fall victim to. Simon takes care to walk inside the lines of the status quo, but after seven long years, he is on the verge of a mental breakdown. As Simon's life grows intolerable, he relinquishes control to his vivid daydreams, which manifest into the antagonistic character of James.The disturbing yet necessary dichotomy between Simon's control over the only thing he knows— his routine—and his helplessness as it is upended by James are painfully relatable. Rather than being relieved of this discomfort, the viewer is increasingly engaged as Simon faces rejection after rejection and becomes the object of disgust from all around him as he scrambles to live up to their impossible standards and compete with James.Simon's fruitless endeavors in his career and personal life are made more apparent by his rival James, whose brazen confidence leave Simon pallid in comparison. Because Simon is voiceless in his own reality, he can only live vicariously through imaginary character James. At first, the designation of James as a figment of Simon's imagination is questionable. The two are so distinct in personality that separating them comes naturally. It is only when James begins to befriend Simon that a merge between the two occurs. Under the feign of casual conversation on the subway train home, James learns Simon's insecurities in approaching women. The following day, James uses this information to blindside Simon and seduce Hannah. Usually self-restrained as Simon, alter-ego James is given boundless freedoms to act on his emotions. As the two characters become more alike and Simon loses his grip on the monotony that once kept him sane, hallucinations of James become his only escape as he gets lost in his fantasy world. Perhaps those who disliked The Double are intimidated by the story's messages. When Simon transforms from an ordinary man to the idyllic version of himself, all of life's pleasures are within arm's reach. The concept that chasing dreams ends in their realization is jarring for a man like Simon who has lost all hope for happiness. Simon represents the everyday working adult for whom this dream has also become a fantasy. James also punctuates this story by urging the audience to assess their own mental health. In particular, this demand is imposed by the ending of the film. In this story, you must quite literally kill yourself before you can be reinvented. The question remains, however, whether Simon's suicide was figurative or literal... and how his rebirth, if any, might shape the new chapter of his life.

This movie is unexpectedly good. It reminded me of the movie Enemy, but I did not like Enemy, at all, because of its ending. This movie is completely different and for sure it is not a hollow movie. It is very deep, harsh and full of suspense in a meaningful way. I watched it only once but I am definitely going to watch it again. I am sure that I missed many things, and in addition I have not read the original book in which this movie is based on.The soundtrack of the movie is really unique and beautiful, the frames are all atmospheric and they give you the idea of a different world, somewhere between the past and the future. If we analyze the social environment of the movie we will conclude that this is definitely not an image of the present society. I totally believe that this movie has a deeper and more important meaning than what many viewers understood when they watched it. For example, the television advertisements that plays on television or the figure of the "Colonel" in this movie, are not very noticeable, yet, they play somehow a mayor role. This film surely describes the role of people in society and how they are treated as a working class, or how pressure makes them create a "double" to kind of save them from madness or from unhappiness..I highly recommend it and I hope that movies like this will continue to blossom. The intriguing story and its poetic complexion makes this movie an original. Also this movie is a great example for cinematic analysis.