Sundance Institute

Institute History

2014 Sundance Film Festival

Description

When his first feature, Submarine, played at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Richard Ayoade was primarily known for his work as a comedian. Now he again shows his versatility as a writer/director with The Double, his darkly hilarious second film.

Simon James is a ghost. Friends, family, and coworkers meet his every action with complete indifference. He grimly goes through the motions, hoping for recognition that never comes. All of this changes when James Simon arrives. Physically, James and Simon are dead ringers. Yet in temperament, James is everything Simon is not: personable, spontaneous, assertive, and desirable. When James begins to take over Simon’s life, he is forced to act.

Jesse Eisenberg’s fantastic double performance is bolstered by a cast of seasoned character actors who bring Simon James’s gloomy retro world to life. Directed with a deftly comic hand and assured visual technique by Richard Ayoade, The Double is a stylish black comedy with acerbic wit to spare.

— C.H.

Screening Details

Section: Spotlight
Film Type: U.S. Narrative Feature Films
Country: United Kingdom
Run Time: 93 min.

Credits

Director
- Richard Ayoade
Executive Producer
Producer
- Amina Dasmal
- Robin Fox
Sound Editor
- Chris Dickens
- Nick Fenton
Actor
Composer
- Andrew Hewitt
Screenwriter
- Avi Korine
Coproducer
- Andy Stebbing

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]