'Enemy' A Review

Enemy is an abstract doppelgänger thriller about two Jake Gyllenhaal's and spiders. Jake Gyllenhall's #1 is a professor with a grubby apartment with no apparent life. Jake #1 watches a movie on a whim and sees an extra who looks exactly like him. He tracks down Jake Gyllenhaal #2 the aspiring actor. They look and sound exactly alike and even have the same scars. The movie takes a dark turn when Jake #2 blackmails Jake #1 into letting him take his girlfriend out.

The movie has a number of bizarre sequences with spiders and nude women that presumably metaphorically relate to the actual narrative but which make no sense. These sequences are so abstract no parallels, lessons, or symbolism can be drawn. The mystery of the two Jakes is never revealed and we're left with an incredibly unsatisfying story that offers more pretension than cogent concept.

Gyllenhaal doesn't reach very far to distinguish his performances- one is meek, the other cocky. His characterizations, like the plot, are uninspired.

Confusing, creepy, and unfulfilling.

Don't See It.