Another Me (2013)
Directed by: Isabel Coixet
Written by: Cathy MacPhail, Isabel Coixet
Starring: Claire Forlani, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Rhys Ifans, Sophie Turner
Another Me (2013)
Directed by Isabel Coixet
Available now on iTunes
Following her father being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, teenager Fay (Sophie Turner) starts to suspect she is being stalked. Not only that, but the stalker is also impersonating her as well and starts to affect both her school and home life, causing friction among family and friends. As things get worse she starts to question her sanity and even starts to put her personal safety at risk. It’s a slow paced film, steadily building up tension throughout, but with a reveal halfway through that’s bit of a penny dropping moment, particularly to a sound that keeps recurring during tense moments.
The central performances are great, as you’d expect with the talent on display. Watching Fay’s character develop as she goes through the ups and downs in her school and home life is captivating, and with support from the likes Rhys Ifans, Claire Forlani and Jonathan Rhys Myers, there’s barely a bum note throughout. A stark and cold looking film (although it does appear to be set over late autumn/early winter), Another Me is a captivating, spooky story, which holds your interest, but the climax falls somewhat flat, with the build up becoming more apparent before the big reveal at the end. The journey is better than the destination, however, as it’s brilliantly acted and the photography has melancholy, yet comforting imagery. Although somewhat colour washed and bleak, it seems to capture beauty in the mundane and unpleasant, such as crows on a barren tree branch, or a balloon floating away over the cold and bleak looking Barry Island.
Considering the build up throughout the film and the pay off, you’d expect a haunting, somewhat chilling experience, but the delivery comes across as more of a teen drama than a spooky chiller. At first it seems as though Fay’s problems and state of mind are declining parallel to her father’s health, perhaps affected by his illness and this is a way of coping, but when it’s revealed who this mystery doppelganger is, it turns out this descent into paranoia is perhaps not as deep as it first appears. Despite its lack of scares and tension, it’s still an entertaining film that should keep you fixed to the screen throughout. There are worse ways to pass 90 minutes.
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