Denis Villeneuve
Enemy

"Because we are the main enemy of ourselves"

With this phrase, one could summarize the entire philosophy of the most cryptic film by the enormously talented Denis Villeneuve, this "Enemy" that has sparked so much debate for its intricate and seemingly (but only seemingly) illogical and meaningless plot. Based on the famous novel by José Saramago "The Double", the film's opening is ingenious. A university professor leads a monotonous life, devoid of special emotions after a marriage that ended in ruins. One night, while watching a film, he notices that one of the extras looks exactly like him (voice included). So, he begins to investigate to find this man. The film starts off as a rather classic thriller, but as the minutes pass, it evolves into a very dreamlike film, at times very "Lynchian", with some clear influences from masters Kubrick and Cronenberg. This film is a journey into the subconscious of an ordinary man, through his past that reappears in his present not as an ally, but as an enemy...something to confront so that the balance reached due to his mistakes does not break.

Visually, the film is meticulously crafted. The direction is capably handled by the great Villeneuve and provides a constant sense of claustrophobia, excellently supported by a faded yellow-hued cinematography, a symbol of discomfort and loneliness. A truly monstrous Jake Gyllenhaal perfectly portrays two characters identical physically but with opposing personalities.

Symbols, dreamlike features, questions, and mysteries unfold over the course of the film's 90 minutes and keep the viewer's curiosity high, who continues to watch hoping (in vain) to find answers to the questions the film continuously poses through a truly intricate yet equally well-crafted screenplay. However, due to the complex screenplay and the lack of a proper explanation, this work is NOT a film for everyone but is instead relegated to fans of the psychological thriller genre with "Lynchian" dreamlike tones who do not shy away from giving the film their own interpretation. Because ultimately, as the film itself states before it begins, "Chaos is order not yet deciphered."