Literally Anyone: A Different Man (2024) Reflection
Article by Francesca AmanI watched this film several weeks ago, but couldn’t stop thinking about it, and just how much I actually found myself relating to it.
The film stars Sebastian Stan as Edward and Adam Pearson as Oswald. It starts by following Edward’s day to day as an aspiring actor, going through the motions, and ultimately, his feelings of perception. The film feels painfully slow, until it isn’t.
It’s implied that Edward isn’t all too fond of his appearance. He occupies little space in public, he’s hyper aware of his surroundings, and he often keeps to himself, restraining the development of relationships. What’s clear is Edward’s living situation, presumably, a consequence from his appearance. He occupies a small, dimly lit, modestly furnished apartment.
As his apartment and home life is introduced, so is his new neighbour, Ingrid, the playwright. Edward and Ingrid innocuously spend time together, she doesn’t seemingly treat him any different, and Edward grows partial to her.
Even though the film spends notable time setting Edward’s experience, the cosmetic surgery he opts for almost feels out of place, something that I wasn’t—and still not sure if it was on purpose or not. Again, before Edward’s surgery, his day to day wasn’t necessarily riddled with negative or overt interactions from acquaintances, strangers, peers, and neighbours.
The surgery process, from the consultation to the final procedure, passes in what feels like a blink of an eye, similarly, Edward’s life changes just as quickly. No longer an aspiring actor, he’s now in a spacier, contemporary studio apartment while comfortably employed with a presumable social life. He walks away from his previous life with a mask of his former face, a by-product of the surgery.
Insinuating a net positive for Edward, but this facade slowly crumbles.
On his commute home with his new face, Edward sees a remnant of his previous life passing by. Like the person he is, he follows Ingrid from afar until they reach a theatre, where she’s holding auditions for the main role in her play, Edward. The play essentially attempts to depict the protagonist’s experience.
Finding himself in the theatre, Edward auditions and lands the role, opting to wear the mask of his former face while acting. He also finds himself in a relationship of sorts with Ingrid. It’s a comfortable new life, until Oswald appears in the theatre.
Oswald is a charismatic and talented individual. He also happens to have neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that affects nerve tissue1. The film makes it clear that Oswald lives a very fruitful life; all while Edward devolves with seething resentment, seeing what he never was. Oswald eventually goes from liaising with Ingrid on the play, to actually replacing Edward as the lead.
The rest of the film painfully exacerbates Edward’s debilitating self-loathing. From Ingrid’s play, Oswald becomes a renowned industry name, always jet-setting, and fulfills the pretentious artist archetype whereas Edward has nothing.
The film was slow but enjoyable. It was rewarding to pick up the nuances and callbacks throughout, several I could not possibly write about without rambling. I was enthralled by the unconventional cinematography, the actors were phenomenal, and it does warrant conversation for the stranger aspects and dialogues in its runtime.
I didn’t expect the film to have such an effect on me. I couldn’t help relating with Edward for the way he navigated life before his surgery. Like the film portrays, the feeling of being perceived isn’t overt, but lingering, something you’re just always aware of. It infects your brain, affecting your perception and belief of yourself. Whatever that thing is applies to and is different for everyone, which I think really cements the film’s notion.
It makes me understand why he gets the surgery, and why, to me, it felt like such a trivial process in the film, because none of it actually matters when it’s all based on our own self-worth. I’m elated that they actually show us that Edward is the same as he always was, just with a different face. Extremely true to its name.
Thank you for reading!
1 Mayo Clinic. (2024, Sept. 10). Neurofibromatosis type 1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/neurofibromatosis-type-1/symptoms-causes/syc-20350490