The Filmmaker's Guide: Richard Ayoade's 'The Double' (2013)

(Note: In order to get the most out of the article, it is recommended that the reader watches The Double (2013) all the way through, at least once. Making notes is optional but encouraged),

Everyone who has watched this film knows the same thing, it's a black comedy and it's a film noir. There are various methods that this film uses to depict that and the first thing that we're going to have to do is define those two terms so we can see how they'll work in practice:

Film Noir: in the simplest way, film noir is a film in which the plot and cinematography centres around dystopia and pessimism (see: Citizen Kane (1941) for more). It gives off the dark, dingy vibe of Orwell's 1984 and has all the darkness and pessimism of a horror film without being directly frightening. Directors could include: Orson Welles, Fritz Lang and possibly Alfred Hitchcock in some aspects.

Black Comedy: again, in a simple way, Black Comedy makes humour from something either not considered to be funny or something that is intentionally tragic. For example: to make humour from someone's demise. Something distressing or upsetting is made funny.

What we're going to go through is how this applies to The Double through these various aspects:

• Lighting
• Character
• Symbolism

We have defined the "film noir" and "black comedy" terms and now, we have to see how these three aspects create the genre and sub-genre of the film and how effective they are at doing this. There is a lot of successfully managed aspects of this film that I'm going to try not to make this article too long because yes, it is one of my own personal favourite movies of all time.

Section 1: Light and Dark

The darkness is essential for creating the film noir. When you watch the film the first thing you notice is the dark, dystopian nature of it and the last thing you notice is the ambulance. Why do you notice the ambulance? It is the last bright light within the darkness. Therefore, we can assume that the light in the darkness is both story and symbol. Every time we see a flash or aspect of light in the film, it either lights up the characters or it produces some sort of happiness, even if for a moment, within the story. Light is also used to show us the duality between the two characters, keeping the quieter man in the darkness and the louder, more brash one, in the light. Check this out:

Notice the perspective as well, what do you notice first? Not the character. You notice the fact that there is light and dark initially and only then, do you notice the characters. The characters are secondary as they are placed within the darkness and the light and then, you create meaning by reading the scene.

How about this scene, can you figure out how the more confident character is being lit up whilst the less confident one is being left in some aspect of darkness that is, at least, darker than his twin?

Look at how close the lights are to the character on the left in comparison to the character on the right. The character on the left sits within what looks like a halo of lights, the TV, the lamp and the light above head are all within his close perimeter. Whereas, the character on the right is slightly more removed from the lighting and sits 'away'—the perspective seeing him more 'forward' than the other character who sits closer to the lighting in the same perspective.

Section 2: Characterisation

Not only does the light and dark become a noticeable aspect of the film, but also the way in which the two characters are established. Nobody else apart from them themselves notices that they are dual characters and this makes the way in which they interact seem almost intentionally funny. Establishing the Black Comedy aspect. A man who is clearly mentally ill with depression is being made fun of by his dual character, the more confident version of himself.

Check out this scene and how the more confident man seems to try to 'own' the less confident one somewhat, without directing his anger towards him but instead towards someone else. How does it make the scene somewhat humorous but also make fun of the anxiety suffered by the less confident twin?

Notice how the less confident twin seems to just jump aback, not talk much and observe the more confident man in the midst of his anger at the waitress without actually commenting on the situation. It's making light-heartedness of the situation in which the less confident man has extreme social anxiety, something that will continue throughout the course of the film. Thus, is makes effective work of the Black Comedy genre by presenting us with mental illness and humour, something normally unacceptable in today's society.

Then why does it work if it isn't socially acceptable?

It works because it isn't socially acceptable. It works by using the hints of mental illness subtly throughout the film and using small aspects of humour to hint at the reaction to the mental illness by the more confident character - which is the way in which he makes fun of it by overruling the other character and making him feel uncomfortable.

Section 3: Symbols

The three symbols we're going to look at briefly are:

• Clothing
• The Telescope
• The Phones

The clothing is the duality of the two characters. They look and dress the same, bar having opposite personalities—they are the same in appearance. This is why it is noticed by the characters themselves and not by people around them. The message is that the more confident man is noticed because of his character, not because of his appearance. He's noticed for his confidence, not for his appearance. If he was noticed for his appearance then he'd be just like the less confident twin. The less confident twin is unable to understand this because he believes he's noticed for his appearance and therefore, forgotten about because he's 'bland' and 'boring.' Whereas, when the ambulance arrives at the end of the film, he gains the confidence he requires and becomes noticed, having the best aspects of both characters. This is ideal in film noir as it presents that pessimism of only being liked/disliked because of what you look like. That aspect that is, actually, very prevalent in our own society and shines a special light on those with extreme social anxiety.

The telescope is again, a presentation of social anxiety. The unwillingness to talk is presented by the want to 'know.' The social anxiety is symbolised by the fact that the less confident one watches a woman he adores through the telescope without ever actually speaking to her. The telescope also symbolises his love for her; he cannot talk to her but wants to know her. The telescope is that want to 'know' her. It is effective for the medium of film noir because it is a symbol that shows us how little some people communicate about their feelings towards others and how people may want to know someone else, but cannot find the words to talk to them. Thus, they continue to watch from afar. A pessimistic and somewhat depressing idea for those involved.

Lastly, the phones. The phones placed within various scenes, especially at work where the less confident man and the woman he adores are in the same perimeter—is incredibly symbolic of anti-communication. The communication that happens through the phone is either quiet, or there is no communication at all, but listening. The less confident man tends to be in scenes where there are phones, or people on phones, his unwillingness to communicate with the woman he loves is presented by the phone near him and her not ringing, but just existing. It is a symbol that presents everything that is banal about social anxiety and somewhat irritating for the one that has it—the noir-nature of non-communication and not being able to word and speak the feelings he has for her.