No matter who we are and what accomplishments we’ve obtained in our lives, we all have some insecurities. Some people may feel like they are not good enough in their career field despite many accolades. Others may dislike what they see in the mirror and covet another person’s physical appearance. (Personally, I wouldn’t be mad if I woke up and looked a lot more like Beyoncé.) We wonder what would happen if we could change the very thing that we perceive to be “wrong” with us. Would we become more valuable or acceptable in society’s eyes (and our own, too)? A24’s upcoming dark comedy A Different Man, starring Sebastian Stan, explores this question in its thought-provoking (and possibly misleading) trailer.
We meet Edward, an aspiring actor who has a very noticeable skin condition. His face is falling off in small clumps and strangers stare at him and ridicule him in the streets. Edward becomes aware of a drug that can reverse his skin condition and decides to take the chance. He becomes a piece of “man candy,” as another character calls him, and things seem to be looking up for him. It changes when he runs into Oswald (Adam Pearson), who has the same skin condition that Edward was living with. (Editor’s Note: Pearson has neurofibromatosis in real life but it is not clear if Stan’s character has the same diagnosis.) Oswald seems to start living a life that makes Edward jealous, becoming popular with the public and the ladies. I sense a “grass is green where you water it” type of lesson in the mix.
Here’s a quick synopsis for A Different Man:
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
What Is the Release Date for A24’s A Different Man Movie Starring Sebastian Stan?
The trailer for A Different Man could have a twist hidden in it that reveals Edward is an unreliable narrator or something. Anything can happen in an A24 film, right? We will have to see what happens when A Different Man hits theaters on September 20.