Aaron Schimberg’s fantastic dark comedy Another man is one of the richest and strangest films of 2024 – a film about a man who radically changes his appearance and his life, but is haunted by the success of someone who looks exactly the same as he used to. It is a perfect viewing companion for The substanceanother woozy, disturbing film from 2024 about a beautiful shapeshifter fighting an earlier version of herself. But Schimberg’s take on the story is funnier and more down-to-earth, based on believable performances and a situation steeped in both reality and fantasy.
Sebastian Stan (the MCU’s Winter Soldier; Donald Trump in the 2024 film). The apprentice) plays Edward, an actor with significant facial tumors who lives in isolation until he meets his new neighbor Ingrid (The worst person in the world Star Renate Reinsve). A radical new neurofibromatosis treatment gives him a new face, allowing him to take on a new identity and succeed in every aspect of his life except his relationship with Ingrid – particularly as a hugely popular, cheerfully charismatic man named Oswald (Under the skin“Adam Pearson,” who looks exactly like Edward once did, comes into her life.
Like so many doppelganger films (Dual, Enemy, DoubleAnd cam comes to mind immediately) Another man finds horror at the idea of someone being confronted with a more successful version of themselves, representing paths they didn’t take and choices they didn’t make. Unlike most of these films Another man is downright funny when it’s not tragic or frightening. Polygon sat down with Stan and previous filmmakers Pearson and Schimberg (who worked together on the 2019 dramedy). Chained for life) at the Fantastic Fest 2024 film festival to discuss how they found the right tone for the film.
[Ed. note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Polygon: Much of this film is about stoking and suppressing great frustration with the way the world and people work. It all builds to a rather unexpected cathartic point at the end. Sebastian, how did you approach this breakdown?
Sebastian Stan: Well, we do that all the time. We suppress things all the time – so [in a role like this]you just make it more and more detailed.
But I think – there are so many things you read that try to explain things [in movies]. They are always overwritten. This usually happens with bigger budget films where the concern is always that the audience won’t understand what’s happening, so you have to make sure they understand. I’m just so grateful that we didn’t have to deal with that mindset and approach here. Because rather than [explaining the ending] — I think it’s interpretation. People will relate to this moment or find things different about it. They don’t want to comment on it, tell people what to think about it.
I would say that it’s interesting – Edward, Oswald and Ingrid, they all need each other in strange ways, and they’re all sort of planets that revolve around each other in a necessary way, whether there are all these other feelings there. It’s a mix of emotions. It’s not just one thing that drives him at the end of the film, it’s a lot of things. There is probably an internal struggle between being in awe of these people and at the same time being incredibly hateful and angry towards these people.
Image: A24/Everett Collection
After the screening at Fantastic Fest, you mentioned in a question and answer session that you worked with Adam to explore how Edward would have experienced life given his condition. They said Adam was very generous with his life experiences. What did you learn from him that was important for the role of Edward?
Stan: Well, one of my jobs – and Aaron brought this up in rehearsal – was to figure this out [Edward’s] Backstory. Who was Edward? How did he get this apartment, how did he decide to become an actor? What happened to his mother? There were these things that weren’t in the script.
So I researched, created a backstory, looked up things on the internet, and talked to people who, for example, were struggling with weight issues, had lost a lot of weight, and were having an identity crisis as a result. And then I just soaked up everything I could find online of someone struggling with neurofibromatosis or other ailments or disfigurements.
Many of these people were orphans. They spoke of being abandoned by their families. So there were things. But with Adam, I actually had someone by my side who I could ask questions about how he grew up or what he just experienced on the playground.
[To Adam] I think my biggest lesson was: You had a very strong support system in your family and with your mother, who, as far as I know, always said, “Look, you’re going to walk through this room with your head held high no matter what happens.” And many People didn’t have that.
But at the same time, that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t met with the same stereotypical reactions from everyone around him. For me it is personal [the important lesson] Perhaps I have understood the ownership that Adam has over himself in more ways than I have for myself or other people I know in the world. Maybe even more than Edward.
Adam, what was your opinion on this? What was important for you to see reflected in Edward or seen in this film?
Adam Pearson: Firstly, as far as the conversations me and Sebastian had, there was no point in having them unless someone was really honest. It can be really easy to water it down and skip the more emotional moments. So that would have been an incredibly counterproductive undertaking.
And for me it was all about trust. [To Stan] I can only give you so much information or equip you so far, and I have to take my hands off the range and trust that you know what you’re doing at the end. And luckily I got there very quickly.
I think Sebastian has a warmth and integrity that goes beyond his age and beyond what you see in other actors. And then there’s the really great writing and understanding of the subject matter that Aaron has. I had no concerns or fears that this would go the other way and become stereotypical or problematic. So yes, you come in, you trust the material, you trust the people you work with, and you approach everything with honesty, integrity, a clear head and a full heart. And then you can’t go wrong.
Aaron, the tone of this film is so complicated. There are so many things that happen with the drama and comedy. How did all three of you work to achieve the tone you wanted?
Aaron Schimberg: I agonize over the tone before I even start writing. I don’t worry about how I’m going to do it. I agonize over what it will look like, and I agonize so much that I don’t write. I hesitate. And at some point, when I can’t take it anymore, I’ll write a scene. And once I start writing the scene, the tone falls into place for me.
I’ve found this to be the truth as it is: everything I’ve written seems to come naturally. I think on the one hand, with every film I make or every project I take on, I examine something that pains me and that I want to explore. It comes from a place of trauma or whatever, not to use that word too much.
And then I also have a distance from it and a funny side. I want to make it light, I don’t want to make it dark. And those two things together create this tone, not to analyze it too much. And then I think the tone is kind of set in the script, but then when I bring everyone together, sometimes it goes a little more towards tracking and sometimes it goes a little more towards comedy. And I kind of designed it that way. And my only job is really to make sure there are guardrails so it doesn’t tip over in one direction or get too heavy. And we’re making sure we bring it back – giving something dark a comedic moment. But I also just have to leave it to my employees who can interpret this tone.
I knew what Adam was capable of. I wrote the role for him. And from the first conversation with Sebastian I knew that he understood that tone. That just calmed me down. Sebastian’s performance is both tragic and comical. [I had] a general fear of it, because without this tonal balance the whole thing falls apart. But I don’t know that I control it so much as I protect it from falling apart.
This sounds a lot like what Adam said in the Q&A session last night about dealing with imposter syndrome: The only people who never get imposter syndrome are the scammers.
Pearson: Yes. It’s just such a strange thing – I’ve thought about it a lot because I approach everything with a certain amount of self-doubt and nervousness. And for years it bothered me You should have gotten over that feeling by now. But then one of my friends took me aside and said, “If that feeling ever leaves you, you’re not in the right place.” Because it means you don’t care.”
Another man is now available for digital rental or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV and other platforms.
