A Different Man

Für Edward läuft es nicht gut, weder in seinem Job als Schauspieler noch bei den Frauen. Für ihn ist auch klar, woran das liegt: Eine Neurofibromatose hat sein Gesicht mit Tumoren übersät. Edward unterzieht sich einer Wundertherapie, wirft die Geschwüre ab wie einen Kokon und sieht danach aus wie Sebastian Stan (der für diese Rolle auf der Berlinale den Darstellerbären gewann). Als er später daran scheitert, sein altes Ich auf der Bühne zu verkörpern, wird die mehrbödige Satire zum Perpetuum Mobile, zum Thriller über die Fallstricke von Authentizität und Repräsentation – irgendwo zwischen den Coens, Hitchcock und Lynchs THE ELEPHANT MAN. (Gian-Philip Andreas)

In der Anwesenheit von Aaron Schimberg.

In his second collaboration with British actor Adam Pearson, Aaron Schimberg again asks us to reconsider the relationship between mind and body. Edward (Sebastian Stan) is a struggling actor with neurofibromatosis. Awkward and depressive, Edward appears to have allowed his appearance to determine the parameters of his life. After meeting next-door neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), Edward undergoes a radical procedure that alters his appearance. What at first seems like liberation soon becomes an insoluble identity crisis, one exacerbated by his friendship with Oswald (Pearson), whose own physical condition hasn’t prevented him from leading a fulfilling life. A DIFFERENT MAN is a jet-black satire that covers an impressive amount of territory: disability, standards of attractiveness, liberal taboos and the nature of performance, both in theatre and everyday life. As Edward quite literally “loses face”, becoming incapable of occupying his own life, Oswald’s charm and charisma suggest that Edward’s inhibitions were always more than skin deep. Stan won the Best Actor prize at the Berlinale for his complex, humane performance. (Michael Sicinski)

In the presence of Aaron Schimberg.

Aaron Schimberg: GO DOWN DEATH (2013), CHAINED FOR LIFE (2018)