History Film / Enemy

''Enemy'' is a 2013 surrealist, {{Psychological |Thriller}} Neo Noir Thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by Creator/JoseSaramago.

The film chiefly concerns a history professor named Adam Bell, who lives a normal, quiet life in Toronto, Canada. One night, however, as Bell sits down and watches a film he has rented on a recommendation from a colleague, ''Where There's a Will There's a Way'', he spots an actor who looks exactly like himself briefly playing a bellhop in a scene. Seriously shaken by the uncanny experience, Bell attempts to track down the actor, a man whose name Anthony Claire and who has only appeared in two bit roles...

The film chiefly concerns a history professor named Adam Bell, who lives a normal, quiet life in Toronto, Canada. One night, however, as Bell sits down and watches a film he has rented on a recommendation from a colleague, ''Where There's a Will There's a Way'', he spots an actor who looks exactly like himself briefly playing a bellhop in a scene. Seriously shaken by the uncanny experience, Bell attempts to track down the actor, whose name is Anthony Claire...

The film chiefly concerns a history professor named Adam Bell, who lives a normal, quiet life in Toronto, Canada. One night, however, as Bell sits down and watches a film he has rented, ''Where There's a Will There's a Way'', he spots an actor who looks exactly like himself briefly playing a bellhop in a scene. Seriously shaken by the uncanny experience, Bell attempts to track down the actor, whose name is Anthony Claire...

''Enemy'' is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by Creator/JoseSaramago.

The film chiefly concerns a history professor named Adam Bell whose normal, quiet life is shaken up after he watches a film featuring an actor who is an exact double of him and tracks the man down.

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: Anthony cheats on his wife with Adam’s girlfriend and it is implied that it’s not the first time he cheats. [[AnachronicOrder Or maybe it’s Adam who was cheating]] due to [[MindScrew the ambiguous nature]] of the film...]]

[[{{Understatement}} Then things get]] [[MindScrew strange]]. ''[[UpToEleven Really, really]]'' [[UpToEleven strange]].

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: Adam staring resignedly at a room-sized tarantula that has seemingly taken the place of Helen]].

''Enemy'' is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by José Saramago.

-->''"Chaos is order yet undeciphered."''

''Enemy'' is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by Jose Saramago.

* SpidersAreScary: Spiders are a recurring theme, including the tarantulas in the beginning, the gigantic spider striding through a cityscape in a dream, a woman with the head of a spider in another dream, and [[spoiler:the enormous tarantula that replaces Helen in the end]].

* WhamShot: The last scene where Adam goes into room to find Helen, only to see [[spoiler: a ''really'' huge spider]].

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: Anthony cheats on his wife with Adam’s girlfriend and it is implied that it’s not the first time he cheats. [[spoiler: AnachronicOrder Or maybe it’s Adam who was cheating]] due to [[MindScrew the ambiguous nature]] of the film...]]

* YourCheatingHeart: [[Spoiler: Anthony cheats on his wife with Adam’s girlfriend and it is implied that it’s not the first time he cheats. [[spoiler: AnachronicOrder Or maybe it’s Adam who was cheating]] due to [[MindScrew: the ambiguous nature]] of the film...]]

''Enemy'' is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by Creator/JoseSaramago.

''Enemy'' is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and adapted from the novel ''The Double'' by Jose Saramago.

A film with a very similar premise, ''Film/TheDouble'', was released the same year, a {{black comedy}} based on another novel by Creator/FyodorDostoevsky of the same name.
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* FanDisservice: In one of Adam's dreams he walks along a corridor and passes a naked, well-built woman that's approaching from the opposite direction. What sounds titillating in theory is actually anything but because [[spoiler:that woman is walking on the ceiling ''and'' has [[NightmareFuel a spider's head]] instead of a human's]]. Unsurprisingly, Adam suffers a less than pleasant awakening.

Then things get [[MindScrew strange]]. ''Really, really'' strange.

* FanDisservice: In one of Adam's dreams he walks along a corridor and passes a [[FullFrontalAssault naked, well-built woman]] that's approaching from the opposite direction. What sounds titillating in theory is actually anything but because [[spoiler:that woman is walking on the ceiling ''and'' has [[NightmareFuel a spider's face]] instead of a human's]]. Unsurprisingly, Adam suffers a less than pleasant awakening.

* JumpScare: [[spoiler:The sudden revelation of Helen being replaced with a spider in the end]].

''Enemy'' is an eerie 2013 thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal. It is based on the novel ''Literature/TheDouble'' by Jose Saramago, and chiefly concerns a history professor named Adam Bell whose normal, quiet life takes a very strange turn after he watches a film featuring an actor who is also an exact double of him and tracks the man down. A film with a very similar premise, ''Film/TheDouble'', was released the same year, a {{black comedy}} based on another novel by Creator/FyodorDostoevsky of the same name.

* NoEnding: [[spoiler: Adam walks into his girlfriend's room and finds that she has been replaced by a massive spider. He stares at her for a few seconds, then sighs.]] [[GainaxEnding Cut to black.]]

* SpotTheImposter: Anthony's wife suspects briefly that Adam isn't her husband, but dismisses it. Adam's girlfriend, meanwhile, realizes who Anthony is. [[spoiler: This leads to both of their deaths]].

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: One popular interpretation of the film is that it takes place mostly in Adam's head, with Anthony being a symptom of his delusions.

''Enemy'' is an eerie 2013 thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal. It is based on the novel ''Literature/TheDouble'' by Jose Saramago, and concerns a history professor named Adam Bell whose normal, quiet life takes a very strange turn after he watches a film featuring an actor who is an exact double of him and tracks the man down.

* AnachronicOrder: Due to the ambiguous nature of the story, it's not clear whether the events are happening in the order we see them. This holds particularly true if Adam and Anthony are indeed the same person. Sequences that cut back and forth between them could not be happening concurrently as the editing implies.

''Enemy'' is an eerie 2013 thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Creator/JakeGyllenhaal. It is based on the novel ''Literature/TheDouble'' by Jose Saramago, and concerns a history professor named Adam Bell whose normal, quiet life takes a very strange turn after he watches a film featuring an actor who is an exact double of him and tracks the man down.