The Reel Review
An aspiring actor with a severe facial deformity undergoes an experimental procedure which drastically improves his appearance, but curiously, he remains dissatisfied with his life and goes into a tailspin when he meets a man with the same condition that he had who is content and happy. Sebastian Stan stars in this dramedy about identity and self-acceptance.

Shot in 16mm, A Different Man is what The Elephant Man would be if it were a kooky dark comedy. It features an impressive performance from Stan as Edward, the shy, insecure man who discovers that looking good on the outside doesn’t necessarily translate into feeling good inside. Following his physical transformation, Edward changes his name to Guy, starts selling real estate and begins a romantic relationship with Ingrid (The Worst Person in the World‘s Renate Reinsve), his charming but opportunistic playwright next-door neighbor who creates a play based on Edward who “Guy” informs her died by suicide. When Adam Pearson’s gregarious Oswald ends up landing the secretly autobiographical role Edward was supposed to play, Edward loses his mind.

After an intriguing first half, the quirky and very meta story from writer/director Aaron Schimberg stumbles through an increasingly bizarre and clunky second half, as if he didn’t know how to stick the landing in this even more depressing, feel-bad counter to 2024’s The Substance.
REEL FACTS
• British actor Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis, also starred in writer/director Aaron Schimberg’s 2019 film, Chained for Life.
• The bar scene where Edward is watching Oswald and Ingrid is the same bar in 2023’s Past Lives, with Edward sitting in the same seat as Nora.

• Sebastian Stan won a 2025 Golden Globe for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy, for A Different Man.