Where it is all too easy to suggest A Different Man bases itself on the beauty of our uniqueness – whatever we perceive them as – it is not the line this exceptional creation from Aaron Schimberg pursues. No. This is not about the beauty of the soul or the merit of the heart but how we see ourselves, or rather what we want to see from ourselves. Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson are an exceptional back and forth, the desire for an idyllic future and the lived-in one. Those lingering, unmoved moments say it all. For all the looks and pounces of his fellow man, the worst description levelled at Edward Lemuel (Stan) is he is a Woody Allen-like character. There are no neuroses at first, no chance of a wider brilliance, just a strained lookout for a glimmer of hope in what he sees as an insignificant series of events on the road to his dreams. Wear the mask, and present yourself as a person with your dreams intact.
Charming as Stan and Pearson are in this, they are dependent on the interactions of others. How they let the mask slip, what they do to keep their dream alive – as we all do – as they succumb to the slightest digs. From his neighbourly fascination with Ingrid Void (Renate Reinsve) to the gut-wrenching openness Pearson provides, it builds slowly but surely. From fight or flight response to the empathy we believe we should disperse to those we perceive as different; A Different Man manages to overcome the initial teething issues and wraps itself in black comedy antics. That is when it comes to life, it flourishes both as a drama and a horrendously awkward comedy with flutters of romantic disillusionment too. A Different Man provides a David Cronenberg-like feel to its thoughts on what can be described as medical miracles.
A consultant who begins laughing at the suggestion of extreme pain to the hatred felt by on-call medical professionals, the pacified white walls and everything in between is marvellous because real people are its core, unlike Cronenberg and his larger-than-life thrills. Stereotypes, the American Dream, what we consider success and failure, they are all trotted out and the brilliant work from an effortless, career-best Stan and a charming, often side-splittingly grand Pearson performance – whose work here is earnest and strong enough to carry those tender moments. Isolation and lust are a New York delicacy, a double-bill as old as the city itself.
Perception is the game. A Different Man so frequently shows that those we think are better off than us often are not. They are still circling the drain, claws stuck in flimsy dreams. The panic of change is for everyone, not just those going through chance medical procedures. A Different Man is keen to explore the body horrors, the intonation of rebirth and the delicate and often extraordinary direction from Schimberg seals it. Rebirth. We want this opportunity to reinvent ourselves, to expose our old friends and even the stranger on the street to a confident new momentum carrying what we want to be. What we perceive as our lives in the mind and what we present in public are wildly different. This is not just for Pearson and Stan to delve into but Reinsve to do too.
A Different Man has more drama to it than it does comedy but the staggering displays it pulls off, the misanthropy and the confusion it causes for its lead trio, are magnificent. We want what we cannot have and when, by some miracle, we get it, we want something else. Such is the human condition. Irony seeps from A Different Man and though its position is somewhat obvious it is the simplicity of its want and desire that sells it. Confidence is self-made irrespective of circumstance or style. We are unique but so too is everyone else that thinks they are. A Different Man toys with this and, when it comes to a head it feels like a powerful spectacle reliant on Pearson’s affable charm and infectious optimism, on Stan’s carrying of self-neglect and regret. These are the sort of performances that stick with you, and the full range Pearson provides in this first-time lead role is immaculate. Reinsve is the conduit for this back-and-forth, and A Different Man soon becomes a stunning articulation of loving yourself.
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