TWO GOOD: Director Denis Villeneuve (left) sits on the set of Enemy with Jake Gyllenhaal.

In movies, from The Parent Trap to Dead Ringers to

the more recent Moon, confronting an unknown twin,

has become a time-tested tradition. By Mark Olsen

Movie doubles seem to be multiplying at an alarming rate. At last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival both Enemy and The Double grappled with what happens when you confront your doppelganger, and the idea appeared again in several films at the Sundance Film Festival.

With their enigmatic explorations of identity and persona, these recent films seem to be grappling with the human issues of the online age.

Enemy, which opened last week, also has its own double, in a way. The film closely follows the recent release of Prisoners, which was also a collaboration between actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Montreal-based filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose French-language Incendies was nominated for the Academy Award for foreign language film in 2011.

“It’s always strange, that kind of momentum toward an idea,” said Villeneuve of the recent rash of doubles in movies. “In some ways the double is like a genre unto itself. In the novel it has been explored a lot.”

In movies, from The Parent Trap to Dead Ringers to the more recent Moon, the notion of the double, and confronting an unknown twin, has become a time-tested tradition as well.

In fact Enemy was shot before the child-abduction procedural of Prisoners, with Villeneuve moving straight from production on one into the other. Post-production on the two was done simultaneously, with Villeneuve racing to ready both films for Toronto. When Enemy had its world premiere screening, it was the first time Villeneuve himself was watching the finished print.

In Enemy, Gyllenhaal takes on two roles. As browbeaten history professor Adam Bell, he watches a movie on the recommendation of a colleague and notices a bit player who looks just like himself. Once he tracks down the struggling, handsome actor, Anthony Clair, it sets both men on a path in which their lives become forever intertwined, as each sees something desirable in the other. As their respective romantic partners, actresses Melanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon keep the film rooted in an emotional reality even as the story becomes more psychologically complex and begins to veer toward the fantastical.

“To me, I’ve always looked at it as the difference between the guy you are when you go to a dinner party and the guy you are at home,” explained Gyllenhaal of the distinction between the characters. “I always saw them as the same person, and Denis would see them as two different people.”

The film is adapted from the 2004 novel by the late Portuguese Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramago. The original story is set in the 1980s, though Villeneuve updates the story to present-day Toronto.

“The movie is a very free adaptation. I should say the movie is inspired by the book, it’s not an adaptation,” Villeneuve said. “Saramago has a very precise and unique style. Enemy is an adaptation of the love I had for the book.”

Working with screenwriter Javier Gullon, Villeneuve made other changes to the story as well, including the addition of a mysterious sex club and also the imagery of spiders that runs throughout the film. Though he allows that he is scared of spiders, Villeneuve declines to be any more specific about their inclusion.

“The spiders do have a precise meaning for me, but I think that in order to respect the enigma and the pleasure of the audience, I leave every viewer to find their own interpretations,” he said. “It’s a luxury I gave myself for this movie. And for the enigma to stay alive I can’t say the meaning of the spider. You have to deal with it yourself.”

The pair first met after Villeneuve reached out to Gyllenhaal for the role in Enemy. Villeneuve had hoped that the actor might also be interested in Prisoners, which was also coming together. The pairing of actor and director on the two projects has been a stronger collaboration than either expected.

“I had heard of Denis and heard of Incendies, though I hadn’t seen Incendies,” Gyllenhaal said.

“And then Denis sent the script with a note that was sort of a manifesto. The note said he couldn’t make anything else until he made Enemy and that what I was about to read was very complex but a very simple story.”

The doubling effects, scenes in which Gyllenhaal plays opposite himself, were done using computerised motion control technology so any camera moves could be repeated exactly. Gyllenhaal would record half of his scene, work with Villeneuve to select the best takes, switch costumes and then shoot the other side with audio playback in a small earpiece.

For Gyllenhaal the technical aspects of the production were like “playing 3-D chess.” Despite any complications, according to Villeneuve, “in truth the main special effect in Enemy is Jake Gyllenhaal.” — Los Angeles Times, MCT

 

 

Gibson likely to fight for daughter’s custody

 

Actor Mel Gibson is reportedly considering going to family law court in an attempt to get more custody of his four-year-old daughter Lucia with the former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. Gibson’s move follows an incident involving law enforcement and Grigorieva’s eldest son with ex-007 Timothy Dalton, multiple sources have confirmed, reports radaronline.com. The site kept the allegations or details of the police investigation under wraps as Alexander Dalton is a juvenile. But a source said: “Oksana is terrified that Mel is going to go to court and ask Judge Scott Gordon to give him sole custody of their daughter, Lucia, because of a recent incident. Oksana thinks Mel will try and use this to show the judge that she is an unfit mother.”

It’s a setback for the Russian beauty, who recently filed for bankruptcy.

 

Courteney-Johnny madly in love!

 

It seems that actress Courteney Cox and her boyfriend Johnny McDaid just can’t stay away from each other. After putting on quite the public display of affection last week, Courteney and the Snow Patrol star arrived arm-in-arm to an event titled An Evening Of Environmental Excellence, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The duo even co-ordinated in black-and-white ensembles. Courteney, 49, was wearing a belted black dress and peep-toe wedges with a bold black-and-white striped handbag. Her hair was effortlessly swept back into a ponytail with her fringe framing her face.

Meanwhile, Johnny wore a black blazer, vest, slim-fit trousers, and black shoes with a white button-down and skinny black tie. Adding some edge, he sported a studded leather belt. — IANS

Omar Sy to star in Jurassic World

 

French star Omar Sy of The Intouchables fame has joined the cast of Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World — reboot of the blockbuster dinosaur action franchise.

Hollywoodreporter.com reports that Sy shared the news on Twitter saying: “Fan of the saga from the beginning, I’m very proud to be part of the cast.”

Sy did not reveal details about his role in the 3D feature, which also stars Chris Pratt, Idris Elba, Irrfan Khan, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio and Jake Johnson. Steven Spielberg, who directed the first Jurassic Park film in 1993, is producing Jurassic World along with Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley. — IANS