As we’ve highlighted in our feature 20 Films About Doubles And Doppelgängers, the concept of a protagonist meeting their exact duplicate isn’t exactly new. But in the hands of Richard Ayoade it becomes something inventive and madcap, and “The Double” has terrific fun with the premise of a man meeting the sexier, more successful version of himself.
Film4 recently sat down the Ayoade to chat about the making of the movie, and it’s good ten-minute talk with the filmmaker who goes deep into his intentions and motivations. A project he’s been developing for years—it might have shot before “Submarine” had the the script been ready—Ayoade reveals that he wanted to do something a bit lighter than and more approachable than Fyodor Dostoevsky‘s novella on which the movie is based. And certainly he succeeded with the script, co-written by Ari Korine, a wonder of wit, and the controlled unravelling of the main character(s) played by Jesse Eisenberg.
“The Double” opens on May 9th. Watch below.
