A Different Man: Expected release window, cast, plot, and more

On January 21, 2024, the American psychological thriller film A Different Man made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and will be screened in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024.

Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg, the movie follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), an aspiring actor, who, after undergoing surgery, becomes obsessed with the man portraying him in a theatrical play based on his past.

The cast includes Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Christine Vachon, and Adam Pearson in the lead roles.

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A Different Man is expected to release later this year

The thriller was announced in June 2022 and was set to complete in December 2023.

It finally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024, and is expected to be released in theaters later this year by A24. In February 2024, it will also be shown in competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.

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Who stars in A Different Man: Cast list

Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan (Image via IMDb)

Starring in the A24 movie, A Different Man, are Adam Pearson as Oswald, Renate Reinsve as Ingrid, and Sebastian Stan as Edward. Besides the three, there are Marc Geller, Juney Smith, and Neal Davidson as cast members.

Sebastian portrays Edward, sometimes known as Ed, a shady New York actor. Oswald is played by Adam Pearson, who is well-known for his eerie scene opposite Scarlett Johansson in Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin. His character in A Different Man becomes a threat to Ed's recently discovered life.

Renate Reinsve, known for her role in The Worst Person in the World, plays Ingrid, Ed's new neighbor. Like Ed, she is also an aspiring artist and a playwright.

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What happens in A Different Man?

A psychological thriller (Image via iamsebastianstan@Instagram)

A Different Man is referred to as both “a unique psychological thriller” and “a surreal, singular tale” in the official Sundance literature. It is a terrifying narrative about obsession and identity with a dark sense of humor.

In the movie, a shy and insecure actor, who had previously let his facial deformities hold him back, receives a miraculous recovery, but he is overshadowed by a stranger who exudes confidence while still having the same affliction.

The narrative begins as an ordinary indie dramedy set in New York City, with Ed attempting to succeed as an actor while living in a run-down one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.

The problem with Ed is that he stands out due to his disfigurement caused by neurofibromatosis, a condition in which non-cancerous tumors grow around the facial nerve tissue, causing it to bulge suddenly in all directions.

Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) moves next door (Image via IMDb)

After the beautiful Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) moves in next door, things start to look good. She's also an aspiring artist, a writer, like Ed, and the two get along immediately away, despite Ed's insecurities about his looks.

When the struggling actor consents to take part in a clinical trial for drugs that may be able to treat his illness, his dull life takes a dramatic change and becomes worse.

Ed begins missing the man he used to be, especially as Pearson's character enters the picture and subtly takes over every aspect of Ed's life, including their developing romance. As everything begins to fall apart, Ed starts to go insane.

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A Different Man is an excellent study of the stereotypes around disabilities, how they are portrayed in the arts, and what a truly normal existence entails.