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The Double

Modern, sci-fi Dostoyevsky adaptation

In a stylized, sci-fi adaptation of an 1846 Dostoyevsky novella, Jesse Eisenberg plays an office worker so unremarkable that he barely exists. His daily routine of being almost universally ignored by his coworkers and pining for the pretty girl in the copy room (Mia Wasikowska) is suddenly derailed by the appearance of a new recruit who’s his exact double, except he’s aggressive, charming and upwardly mobile.

This little brainteaser from Richard Ayoade (channeling Gilliam, Kaufman, Lynch and even Kafka) works best as an acting exercise, watching the talented Eisenberg effortlessly switch between the two. Japanese title: Warau Bunshin. (93 min)