“Control. It's all about control. Every dictatorship has one obsession and that's it. In ancient Rome they gave the people bread and circuses. They kept population busy with entertainment but other dictatorships used other strategies to control ideas, the knowledge... how do they do that? Lower education, they limit culture, censor information, they censor any means of individual expression and is important to remember this. That this is a pattern that repeats itself through out history.”

Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy is a film so complex I don’t really know where to start. Amongst its clever story, it scatters symbolism here and there throughout the runtime, making for a film that not only entertains you with the intensity of the plot but also makes you think long after it’s finished.

It follows Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal), a history professor who one day discovers his doppelgänger, Anthony Claire (Jake Gyllenhaal), as an extra in a movie. After tracking him down and meeting him, he discovers how something as simple as looks can disturb people’s lives and relationships so easily and with such big affect.

The film is incredibly interesting, with a clever story that is well constructed and great to watch unfold (especially as it has one of the most terrifying endings I have ever watched). It’s packed with head-scratching symbolism that is very fun to attempt to decipher. The theory I believe is that the spiders are a metaphor for his fear of commitment, as they pretty much always appear in the context of women. But it’s not something that anyone is sure of really.

It’s great visually. The cinematography is brilliant. It uses the height scale of the world excellently, boosting the uneasy feel that is occurring throughout and creating some very memorable shots. The editing aids the film’s intensity well and is assisted by the good use of lighting. 

Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the biggest driving forces of this film. He gives an excellent performance as both characters, playing Adam Bell as a more subtle character and perfecting his timid nature, and playing Anthony Claire as the more fiery and impulsive one. Both roles are given equal effort and the acting of the contributes the film immensely.

It may not be as blockbuster as Villeneuve’s more recent works but it still stands as one of his finest works. It’ll take me a few more rewatches to get my head around this film but as of now I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting something interesting to watch.

Villeneuve RANKED