'A Different Man': Bold, Weird, and One of the Year's Best

As the year’s best-of lists start rolling in, you’ve probably noticed a familiar pattern: critics name-dropping films that haven’t even hit your local theater—or anywhere accessible—yet.

Films like The Brutalist and Nickel Boys are hovering just out of reach, premiering in a trickle of select markets. But there’s one great 2024 film you can watch right now, at home, and it demands your attention. In fact, it deserves a place much higher on these year-end lists than it’s been getting.

That film is A Different Man, the latest from director Aaron Schimberg. It’s available to rent on all major platforms as we speak, and trust me, it’s one of 2024’s best.

This genre-shifting character study features Sebastian Stan at his absolute best, taking on a role that quietly reshapes the trajectory of his career. He plays Edward, a man living with neurofibromatosis, a genuine medical condition that manifests as facial tumors. Opposite him, we have Adam Pearson, who has the condition himself and delivers a performance of astounding warmth and self-assurance. Renate Reinsve completes the core trio, each of them elevating Schimberg’s nuanced screenplay with honest and richly layered performances.

Stan, in particular, has a daunting challenge. Edward’s journey involves literal and psychological transformation—he’s essentially playing two versions of the same man, each with its own physical and emotional demands. The character’s internal conflicts are a minefield of insecurities, desires, and fears, and Stan navigates this terrain with the kind of bold choices and genuine vulnerability that remind you he is much more than a sidekick in a superhero franchise.

While it’s tough to delve into the plot without spoiling the experience, here’s the essence: A Different Man isn’t your standard “disability narrative.” It’s a deeply original psychological drama threaded with dark comedy, romantic tension, social critique, and even a streak of Cronenberg-esque body horror. It’s a shape-shifter of a film—one part Charlie Kaufman brain-melter, one part David Lynch fever dream, one part Martin Scorsese character piece—yet it never feels derivative. Schimberg orchestrates his influences with grace, creating a story that’s both intellectually stimulating and thoroughly entertaining.

The plot follows Edward as he undergoes experimental treatment to remove his facial tumors, hoping that a more conventional appearance might open doors long closed to him. Meanwhile, he befriends Ingrid (Reinsve), a fledgling playwright who sees promise in his wounded artistry. When the treatment works, a newly smooth-faced Edward quickly leaves his old life behind, assuming a new identity and lifestyle.

Later, a play based on Edward’s former life emerges, and he finds himself in the strange position of auditioning to portray his old self. Enter Oswald (Pearson), another aspiring actor with the same condition Edward once had, but with a confidence and magnetism Edward never knew. Their collision triggers an existential tailspin that unravels notions of identity, beauty standards, and the uneasy truths we tell ourselves about who we are and who we could be.

What makes A Different Man stand out is how fearlessly it engages with big ideas—disability, self-worth, the human tendency to judge based on appearances—without slipping into pity or moralizing. Instead, it uses dark humor and surprising twists to challenge the assumptions you might bring to the table. It’s the kind of film that leaves you thinking about its themes for days, yet it never forgets to entertain along the way.

If you crave something that will unsettle, amuse, and provoke you in equal measure, A Different Man should be at the top of your list. In a year that’s given us some memorable oddities, like The Substance and, er, Madame Web, this one stands out as not only one of the strangest but one of the best.