Enemy (2013)

A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.

Director:

Denis Villeneuve

Writers:

José Saramago (novel), Javier Gullón

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon

17 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Adam + Anthony
Mélanie Laurent	...	Mary
Sarah Gadon	...	Helen
Isabella Rossellini	...	Mother
Joshua Peace	...	Teacher at School (as Josh Peace)
Tim Post	...	Anthony's Concierge
Kedar Brown	...	Security Guard
Darryl Dinn	...	Video Store Clerk
Misha Highstead	...	Lady in the Dark Room
Megan Mane	...	Lady in the Dark Room
Alexis Uiga	...	Lady in the Dark Room

Storyline

Adam Bell is a Toronto area History college professor. He is a rather somber man, largely because he is stuck in a routine, which includes a relationship with his live-in girlfriend, Mary. While watching a rental movie, he spots an actor in a bit part that looks like him. He becomes obsessed with finding out about this double of his. He learns that the actor's stage name is Daniel Saint Claire, whose legal name is Anthony Claire. Claire is a Toronto based actor with only a few on-screen credits, and is married to a woman named Helen who is currently several months pregnant. Adam then becomes obsessed with meeting Claire, who he learns upon first sighting that they look exactly the same, from the facial hair to a scar each has, but Claire who outwardly is more "put together" than Adam. Their lives become intertwined as Claire himself ends up becoming obsessed with Adam, but in a slightly different way.

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Plot Keywords:

doppelganger | spider | infidelity | ambiguous ending | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | 

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Taglines:

You can't escape Yourself!

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another poster that can be seen behind Adam in the video store is for the film Hierro (2009). The screenwriter of Hierro is Javier Gullón, he also wrote the screenplay for Enemy.

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Goofs

When Anthony is looking up Adam's contact information online, he views the UGT FACULTY listings page where all the faulty names are rightly listed alphabetically until we arrive at Adam's name, where his last name, Bell, is listed between Shaver and Tyler.

We also see that several of the presumably fake phone numbers have question marks for numbers, including both Adam's cell number (905-569-4?33) and office number (416-9?8-1979).

We also see that the name after Adam's, Ewin Tyler, is listed twice and with unique contact information. But when Helen is then looking at the same screen in the next scene, the first Ewin Tyler name has been replaced with Sam Singleton, with the exact same information listed as was for the previous Ewin Tyler.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mother: [leaving a message] Hello, darling, it's your mother. Thank you for showing me your new apartment. I'm worried about you. I mean, how can you live like that? Anyway, would you call me back? Let's get together again. I love you.

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Connections

References The Killing (2011)

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Soundtracks

Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love
Performed by Jonathan Richman
Written by Jonathan Richman
Published by Rockin' Leprechaun Music
Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
Courtesy of Vapor Records/Sanctuary Records Group Inc.,
under license from Universal Music Canada

User Reviews

Kafka meets Lynch!

Denis Villeneuve, whose last two films were the hugely impressive Incendies and Prisoners, has concocted a real oddity here. If you can imagine David Lynch adapting a Kafka novel, then you will be in the right neighborhood! In Incendies and Prisoners,Villeneuve inserted serious moral and social issues in the context of first rate thrillers' Here he follows the same tradition but the tone is more abstract and absurd. Neverherless, Enemy, adapted from a novel by the Nobel prize winner Jose Saramago, is always gripping and totally fascinating. A man (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets a recommendation from a colleague to watch a particular video. The main actor in the video appears to be his doppelgänger and the two agree to meet. To reveal any more would lessen the enjoyment of this highly original film. Well worth catching.

Details

Official Sites:

Alfa Pictures [Spain] Official Facebook

Country:

Canada Spain France

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enemy

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,161, 16 March 2014

Gross USA:

$1,008,726

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,468,224

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé, Entertainment One, Rhombus Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1