British comedian Richard Ayoade is perhaps best known for his role in the IT Crowd TV show or even as a member of the neighborhood watch in THE WATCH, but he’s gotten behind the camera for the odd-looking comedy THE DOUBLE, which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, James Fox, Noah Taylor, and Cathy Moriarty. The film, a contemporary America-set adaptation of the classic novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is premiering at TIFF this week and today we have our first look at the trailer, which is fittingly strange and compelling all at once.
Take a look:
Here’s the synopsis:
Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon’s exact physical double and his opposite — confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon’s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.
Eisenberg is one of the more surprising actors working today. I originally pegged him to lose steam very quickly based on his shtick, which had a kind of nervous young Woody Allen vibe to it, but he has since shown some really decent range and taken on diverse roles so as not to get pigeon holed into the same role over and over again. I can respect that. Wasikowska has also defied the “easy route” after her success with ALICE IN WONDERLAND and continued to diversify her talents. It’s nice to see two young actors changing it up. Under the direction of Ayoade, I think this will be another solid notch in their repertoire.
THE DOUBLE premieres at TIFF this week. No U.S. release date is set at this time.