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Enemy
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Mind-bending, surreal mystery with sex and language.

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Enemy
Community Reviews
Based on 4 parent reviews
Dark, smart mystery
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Great movie
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What's the Story?
Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a sad, drab history professor who gives the same lecture about dictatorships (and their repeating patterns), and goes home to the same evening routine with his girlfriend Mary (Melanie Laurent). One night he rents a movie and spots an actor that looks exactly like himself. He discovers the actor's name, Anthony Clair (Gyllenhaal again), and contacts him. The confident, commanding Anthony is married to the beautiful, pregnant Helen (Sarah Gadon). The two men appear to be exact doubles, and neither knows precisely what to make of it, until Anthony callously decides to steal Mary away for a weekend. Yet for Adam, the puzzle, involving a mysterious package and dreams about spiders, grows ever more complex.
Is It Any Good?
Oscar-nominated Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve continues his collaboration with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, following Prisoners; the result here is much tighter but far less realistic. Indeed, ENEMY could easily be described as surreal. It's a mystery story, with mystery elements, but the movie does not provide much in the way of answers. It's more like a David Lynch film, with clues, emotions, images, ideas, and sensations coming together for one unique experience, with a bizarre, unforgettable ending.
Enemy begins with shots of a mysterious club involving women in sexual situations and spiders, and these nightmarish images continue to permeate the film. The movie also dabbles in notions of repeating patterns and doubled images, though not overtly. It's smart enough not to leave blatant clues or red herrings, anywhere. Based on a 2002 novel by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author Jose Saramago, it's a truly intriguing movie, sure to leave viewers pondering long after.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sex in the movie. Does sex seem to be a healthy or loving outlet for these characters? What's the overall tone to the sexual activity in the movie?
Is the movie scary? Creepy? How does a story that departs from reality affect you? What other movies have departed from reality, with different results?
The main character's personality traits seem to have been split, one confident and aggressive, and the other meek and sad. Do you feel all these things within yourself? At what different times, or in what situations?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 14, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: June 24, 2014
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal , Sarah Gadon , Melanie Laurent
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: A24
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language
- Last updated: August 13, 2023
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