A Different Man
Below is a terse series of reactions I had after seeing the film A Different Man. Upon reflection I probably would try to be more thoughtful/generous to the film now I've had some distance from it. Still, I think these points have value as a raw response to something that I thought was very successful (and exciting to see) in some ways while being disappointing in others. I do recommend seeing the film regardless.
I have facial disfigurement. Acknowledging that my experience is as different to someone with neurofibromatosis (NF) as someone with no disfigurement is to me, some thoughts on A Different Man:
The first part (up to when Ingrid is workshopping the play with Guy/Edward) was really good at capturing the insipid reactions and behaviours towards facial difference from others. The duplicity in how people present themselves and the disgust they feel & express elsewhere; how outrageous comments and questions are smuggled into normal conversation; how many people walk past you and sharply mutter "Jesus Christ". That felt very real, very honest and well-captured.
Ingrid's play had so much utility. Loved that scenes were robbed of subtext compared to the "real" earlier moments they were based on. The way it dramatized conversations we didn't witness, probably in a sensationalised way while still capturing the essence of the exchange, was excellent. It's possible they didn't even happen given the whole thing seems to be a product of Ingrid's cruel imagination. This worked on loads of levels and I really appreciated it.
The workplace instructional video literally made me want to jump out of my skin with how real it was. Nailed it.
The rest... felt like it had a symbolic relationship with facial difference; that it used disfigurement as a vehicle for a more generalised exploration of shame, and so felt kind of tepid on the whole. It often escaped into surrealism when it ran out of substance.
It did not depict the real and intense hostility people have when you are not visibly ashamed of your difference. The idea that all you need is confidence, and it's received with unanimous acceptance, is way off. The reality is that many people are extremely irritated by confidence when they think you should (demonstrably) hate yourself. This isn't limited to facial disfigurement - many groups who experience prejudice encounter this disgruntled anger.
Adam Pearson's performance didn't work. I guess it's possibly meant to be bad, or there is a sort of intentional pervasive unreality to it, but even then it wasn't successful. It was stilted, rushed, unengaging. Making a film about someone with NF and casting someone with NF is a good thing, but you can't let a film off the hook just because it's representative. I'm facially disfigured, I want culture about that experience, but I still want it to be good. Pearson was the weakest performance by far.
It's too clever by half. All the call-backs, the folding narrative, the affectation. It didn't land for me and as mentioned before, it often felt like cover for maybe not having much to say. The ending compounded this feeling by being extremely half-baked.