Enemy

I don't even know where to start. Enemy was one of my most anticipated films for this year. It is based on José Saramago's book called "The Double" (in its original Portuguese title "O Homem Duplicado") and it was constantly delayed here in Portugal but now I understand why the wait. They wanted to release it at the 4th year anniversary of the death of José Saramago, winner of a Literature Noble Prize in 1998 and one of our the greatest Portuguese writers ever! It was a beautiful homage, afterall this country unfortunately did not praised him as much as he deserved during his life. He had his very own philosophies, he was a very peculiar and different man. He was against Catholic Church and in a country where most of people are catholics, he was not very well regarded and I think his writing was damaged before the eyes of a country that sometimes cannot see through differences. I look at the writer not at the man, everyone is free to think whatever they want but well, that's another story. Now back to the film!

Enemy is a very complex thriller, very nightmarish and dark with an absolutely engaging atmosphere that will twist your mind and oh, how do I like this kind of mind-f*cking films! As a film that is based on a José Saramago's book and I know that he is a very metaphoric writer, who liked to makes us pull things from our head, mixing reality with mere thoughts, I knew that I would have to pay very attention to all of the details and that's what I did.
I also loved the claustrophobic feeling in the air, it's almost like we are trapped into the film and the absolutely creepy and dreadful soundtrack helps to create that feeling.
There are some things left hovering the air but I have a pretty strong theory for this story. This is a film that requires more than one viewing and I believe that can become more special to us in each visualization. Is very difficult to talk about it without spoiling anything. I think it is a film which is best experienced and then discussed.

What can I say more about Jake Gyllenhaal that I haven't said before? He must be one of the most underrated actors ever and he is so amazing! I can't remember to had seen a single bad performance from him. Once again he shines and what can be better than have, not one but two Jake Gyllenhaals?

I don't see everyone enjoying this film, some might think it is too slow or too boring. Some will feel very bothered with the atmosphere and with what they are watching but for me worked even better than what I was expecting.
Denis Villeneuve amazed me with Prisoners, one of my favorites of last year and he amazes me again with another fantastic work directing Enemy.

When you fully understand all the things that happened, you know that is just brilliant.

>*"Chaos is order yet undeciphered."*

Like every good Villeneuve: complex and confusing. Every time I watch ***Enemy*** I learn something new about the movie, it's just the perfect puzzle. Like every good puzzle: inviting, not unsolvable but challenging, and rewarding. Definitely one of my favorite psychological thrillers and my favorite from Villeneuve overall. A psychologist's wet dream of a movie, there's just so much on the plate here and the character study is top notch. The mystery is engaging but perhaps even more engaging is Jake Gyllenhaal. It's not an extravagant performance but he really excels in the more subtle things; facial expressions, body language and line delivery. Great score, brilliant metaphors and such a unique concept. The ultimate 'commitment' movie. Villeneuve is a genius!

If you're trying not to lose your mind putting the puzzle together, this one's THE explanation to go for: https://youtu.be/v9AWkqRwd1I

Definitely in my top 10 favourites.

Brillante si la entiendes, asfixiante si no lo haces.

Brilliant and mind-blowing. Reminded me a lot of Donnie Darko.

This was just brilliant. Too brilliant, in fact.

Trust me, if you've seen it, it's worth the extra 25 minutes to watch this video that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I

Very confusing and I f*cking like that

My favourite Denis film, it feels very much inspired by Hitchcock. It’s a masterclass in building tension and makes sure to keep you guessing at every turn. It didn’t even seem all that inaccessible to me, I think that this should be fairly easy to understand for someone who knows how to look at arthouse cinema or can pick up on subtleties. There’s some abstraction, but nothing too challenging. By the time the credits roll it’s really not that hard to make sense of. I was still kinda waiting for the big Tyler Durden style reveal, but I like that he didn’t do that. Jake’s great, the cinematography is very distinct, the audio design is immersive and it’s a memorable film overall.

9/10

A intriguing film about a man who happens upon his doppelganger and becomes entwined with him. This was suspenseful and became a real puzzle. It's a movie that wants you to try and figure out what's really going on. It doesn't lay out all of the answers for you. After much noodling on it, don't take the spiders literally. By the way, the ending was a very cool, WTF moment.