Before watching 2013's Enemy, I hope you do not have an arachnophobia or fear of spiders because this film might scare you a bit.
Enemy is one of those films that twists your mind but lets you question a few things about the story, the meaning, and the characters—a signature of almost every A24 movie.
Plot Overview
The story follows a middle-aged college history professor named Adam Bell. He lives a simple and monotonous life in downtown Toronto. He doesn't like films but gets persuaded by his colleague to watch one and decides to rent a film. As he sits down and watches the movie, he spots a character or an actor that looks like him. He begins searching online and finds that the actor's name is Anthony Claire, who uses the stage name Daniel Saint Claire. Adam continues investigating him by watching other movies he acted in. He becomes obsessed and begins stalking Anthony. He visits his talent agency, where he is mistakenly identified as Anthony and handed over a confidential letter. He reaches the actor's home and decides to call him. Anthony's pregnant wife, Helen, is shocked when she answers the phone, but Adam insists that he is not Anthony.
Things get messier when Anthony learns about Adam and calls him a stalker. Helen goes on to investigate and knows that he is a college professor. She is shocked when she visibly confirms that Adam looks much like her husband.
Anthony calls Adam, and the two agree to meet in a hotel room. The two discover that they don't only look the same, but some physical qualities like scars both exist in the same body. Adam thinks their meeting is a mistake because of the contrasts of their personalities. Soon, they began manifesting the same dream. Things get messier as Anthony learns more about his visual twin's life. He begins to crawl into his relationships by pretending to be him and taking away his girlfriend.
Review
Enemy is an interesting movie that plays around with our minds. It dwells on our perspectives of reality and how we want to perceive things. It's a looming question of whether who is the real character that Jake Gyllenhaal played.
This film is not for the faint-hearted. The film's opening sequence, where a woman in an underground club attempts to squash a tarantula, seemingly tests whether you can continue watching the movie. It's mind-boggling and continues to twist your mind as the story continues.
Enemy has one of the most surprising movie endings ever. I literally almost jumped out of my seat because of that big reveal at the end.
However, although the mystery and intrigue add to the enjoyment of the film, it certainly did not feel complete. I felt like there were a couple more subplots to discover.
A good 3.5 out of 5 stars.