Enemy
(2013) is a psychological film directed by Dennis Villeneuve and stars actor
Jake Gyllenhaal. The film was produced by M.A. Faura and is based on the novel,
The Double by Jose Saramago. Enemy is regarded by some to be one of
the most complex, and mind bending films of all time. Besides it’s intriguing plot
and brilliant direction, the film has a seemingly simple but interesting poster
ad. By taking a semiotic approach, we can appreciate the complexity found in
the poster ad, and why I like it so much.
Enemy is the story of a professor played
by Jake Gyllenhaal who find’s a doppelganger of himself acting in a film he
rents one night. Confused, he then searches for the man in the film and ends up
meeting up with him. The two men are identical and from there the film is
unclear whether or not there truly is another man, or if this is all in the
head of one man. Throughout the film, there are “random” shots of spiders that
are very unsettling. One specific scene has a giant spider walking around the
city of Toronto, where this film takes place. At the end of the film, the
viewer is left with many questions along with an indescribable set unsettling
and uncomfortable feeling. With such a complex storyline, it is only fitting
that the movie’s poster ad shares the same connection.
Enemy’s poster ad consists of lead actor
Jake Gyllenhaal side portrait. He is glancing down, in an almost ashamed
manner. This look coincides with Gyllenhaal’s character’s emotional feelings
towards both his mother and his pregnant girlfriend throughout the film.
Another look at the poster and we can see that where Gyllenhaal’s head should
be, there is the skyline of Toronto, this is semiotic in both presenting the
location of the film but more importantly suggest the idea of the psychological
battle he deals with throughout the entire film. At an even closer glance we
see the previously mentioned spider crawling through the city’s skyline. With
this small detail, the poster produces an entirely different feeling, a feeling
of uneasiness. This symbol of the spider not only does a fantastic job as a
theme in the film, but also adds that indescribable emotional feeling carried
throughout the film. The entire film is from the point of view of Gyllenhaal’s
character and the battles he faces in his head. I believe the poster did the
film justice by having his headshot take up most of the space, with all the
details taking place in his head.
I
believe this movie poster ad does an excellent job at not only drawing
connections to the themes of the film, but presents it in a visually simple, emotionally
unsettling way, parallel with the film.
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