For those wondering whether Richard Ayoade has been doing anything other than annual quiz show appearances, your curiosity can now be put at ease. Turns out he’s adapting some Dostoyevsky (as you do) with his new film The Double, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska. Eisenberg plays Simon, a slight, unassuming figure who’s life is thrown into an existential nightmare by the appearance of his doppelgänger, also played by The Social Network star.
The Double marks a brave step up for director Ayoade, whose last film Submarine, a Wes Anderson indebted coming of age piece, achieved moderate success with the help of some excellent young talent and a certain Alex Turner providing the musical niceties. The Double doesn’t look like it will be treading the same twee path, but Ayoade’s grasp of mood and tone is obvious even from this short trailer that absolutely oozes with style and idiosyncrasy from the opening frame. Identity, paranoia and social anxieties will no doubt form the thematic heart of the film, so with plenty to think about, as well as plenty to feast your eyes on (the set design looks extremely promising), keep an eye out for this one.
