Enemy | How Denis Villeneuve creates visual meaning | video essay
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Analyzing Denis Villeneuve's Enemy, to bring answers to the movie's questions. Why the spiders? Who is the enemy?
Enemy is intricate and confusing - but if you look hard enough, it reveals it's secrets in an extremely satisfying manner.
Denis Villeneuve is a genius who manages to infuse meaning and depth into every moment of his films.
00:00 Intro
01:56 Colors
02:09 Yellow
03:40 Contrasting Colors
05:14 Chiaroscuro
08:02 Imagery
08:20 Women
08:54 Powerlessness
10:18 Spiders
11:04 Dialectics
12:49 Reconciliation
13:51 Cycles and the unavoidable
15:35 Outro
Music:
Lukrembo - Butter
Vivek Abhishek - The night house, The Edge
Dan Bodan - Orison
#A24
#DenisVilleneuve
#Enemy
#movies - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Now for the real question:
Enemy, Prisoners, Arrival, Sicario...the list goes on. What's your favorite Villeneuve movie?
Incendies! Classic after classic for Villeneuve. So happy to see that you are highlighting Quebecois' on your channel! :)
@@trcb1877 Great choice! Love Incendies - and what a powerful ending. Might be about time for a rewatch
Blade runner 2049 , Enemy
@@nadaolayan2541 good choices!
Arrival for sure
Was almost halfway through this video before I realized that it didn’t have millions of views…seriously high quality analysis that deserves way more attention. One of my favorite video essays ever
Wow - thanks a lot Morgen! We'll get there :) Newest video is dropping today - get ready to take a trip through the Safdie brothers' style!
It’s criminal how few views this video has! An EXCELLENT analysis, keep up the great work!
Bro omfg same like just now I looked..I’m shocked because of the excellence in the analysis. a true gem for sure..
@@TakeTwoReviews Four minutes in. Had to stop watching. Blue and gold are Masonic colors. Blue represents God. Red would normally represent satan. Masculine and feminine energy. He used gold instead of red to show victory over satan. Hence why me makes a v hand gesture over both eyes as well as when he touches his temple. It isn’t about discomfort. It’s about showing a story taking place within God. Every character is part of a greater whole. It’s called sexual alchemy. Considering you use these same colors as the square and compass on your own logo it’s obvious you’re lying.
Why do people comment this? No one „deserves“ anything. Why do I read this everywhere. It‘s there’s some parallel word where everyone agrees on who deserves what. weird.
I just realized that when they meet in the hotel room, this’s actually him having an affair. Anthony (the cheater side) made the arrangements to meet in a hotel room, but Adam (the side who wants to be a good person/partner) gets there first and is anxious about being there. When Anthony arrives, it symbolizes the woman getting there and Anthony “taking over” the interaction. When Adam gets nervous and said “this was a mistake” as he leaves, it symbolizes the guilt and fear he feels afterwards.
Also, I believe the tarantulas specifically symbolizes his wife and that’s why a tarantula “crushed” in the beginning of the movie when he’s in the sex club, just like his wife is crushed by him being there. The huge spider over the city is his mother, because she’s overbearing and critical and is probably why he has issues with women to begin with.
waw thats amazing.
Makes sense, when I first saw the giant spider immediately thought of Mother (Maman), the giant sculpture outside the Bilbao Guggenheim
Great insight
Hmmm, that’s pretty cool. I love it.
I was so excited to watch this movie and I hated as the movie started to end that I completely didn't understand anything that was happening, and I knew something was happening because I've seen Denis' work before. It was like math class was moving on without me
oh my god THANK YOU so much for making this video. i just finished enemy maybe 20 minutes ago and it’s so invigorating to know a little more about it now!! really wonderfully constructed + deeply impressive, especially in the small details you noticed like the 50 foot woman poster :)
Hi Chris’s - love feedback like this! You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed the movie and my video ☺️
Your catch of the 50 foot woman made me have the connection to the 50 foot spider looming over the city. I love this film and really appreciate the hard work you put into this video essay! Keep up the amazing work :)
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it!
This is one of the best video essays I've seen in a while, great job!
Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that, happy you enjoyed it :)
As someone pursuing screenwriting and filmmaking, this video is immensely helpful. So well crafted and informative. Love your content !!!
Thanks Brooks! Anything by Villeneuve almost feels like a masterclass when you pay attention to it - glad I was able to help you out 😊
@@TakeTwoReviews Four minutes in. Had to stop watching. Blue and gold are Masonic colors. Blue represents God. Red would normally represent satan. Masculine and feminine energy. He used gold instead of red to show victory over satan. Hence why me makes a v hand gesture over both eyes as well as when he touches his temple. It isn’t about discomfort. It’s about showing a story taking place within God. Every character is part of a greater whole. It’s called sexual alchemy. Considering you use these same colors as the square and compass on your own logo it’s obvious you’re lying.
I’ve only heard of this movie as “movie with stupid spider ending that comes out of nowhere” and I’m glad this video essay proved that perspective wrong
Thank you - that means a lot!
One of my favorite movies of all time! Have seen it like 8 times.
I'm pretty sure that the scene at the start with Helen sitting on the bed is also the last scene, where she takes the form of a tarantula.
Excellent essay, nice editing, congrats man!
P.D All of Denis Villeneuve movies are awesome
Ah I quite like that theory - my thoughts were that those both happen in Anthony's mind.
He's introduced in his car, as it starts to rain, while she's on the bed. Her pregnant stomach looks like a spider's abdomen, and her eyes are shiny like a spider's as well. Each of them are introduced through what they stand for in just a couple seconds - really masterful work.
Thanks for the kind words Jose Luis! Happy you enjoyed it. Love love LOVE Denis Villeneuve!
From seen it many times and watching many interviews with Denis and Jake, i conclude that:
The whole movie is happening in the subconscious mind of Adam/Anthony; and it's not meant to tell you a full lineal and literal story, it just tells you the story (with many symbolisms and metaphors) about his battle with his inner self (he is his own ENEMY); the (toxic) relationships with the women in his life, his duality between being a "cool" guy and a "boring" ordinary one, of having to decide between living as a bachelor (single) risky life (being a full-time actor takes courage) or live a "normal" calmed life with a family, the battle with his repressed desires, and the endless vicious cicles that his in and he can't yet broke.
Also, I think many of us can identify with the protagonist, that's what makes the movie/story so appealing (to me, at least).
I really love how the films of thoughtful filmmakers like Villeneuve are open to multiple interpretations - I've seen Enemy a few times and watched at least half-a-dozen CZcams analyses on it and while the analyses sometimes overlap it's remarkable how each one has revealed some new compelling element or motif - I'd never heard the interview snippet with Villeneuve before but for me his distillation of the story really ties together the sticky strands of possible meaning into a cohesive web, particularly in conjunction with the insights about webs and women as examined in this well-reasoned video. Great work, man. btw 'chi' in Italian is pronounced like 'kee' (e.g. macchiato coffee) so 'chiaroscuro' is 'kee-a-ros-koor-o' (o:
Yep, people are usually kind of split about ambiguity in film, either they're down with it or they hate it. I'm with the former, I love revisiting movies and noticing new things that then change my interpretation of the whole film - and I think at times, it's actually harder to craft something ambiguous that stays good throughout. Like you said with Enemy, it really all builds into something cohesive. Thanks for the kind words and interesting points my man
@@TakeTwoReviews I discovered your Safdie Bros video a few days ago and am now working my way through your back catalogue (really enjoyed your vid on Nocturnal Animals, now there's a film rich in layers) - you've got great taste in films (i.e. similar to my own) (o; but you're much more astute with your observations and insights and it's edifying to hear them. Keep up the great work, man.
@@johnnzboy Ahhh - comments like yours really motivate me to create more - thanks a bunch, man. The older videos are a little rough around the edges but the movies are all, in my view, phenomenal ;) glad you're liking it. Next video is on the Florida Project, should be dropping sometime next week!
the ending makes so much more sense now!
Glad I could help :)
just finished the movie. I didn't really go into it with expectations I just wanted to see it because its a Villeneuve film. But boy after watching it and furthermore watching your video, I must say this movie is really underrated. Theres so much to unpack, so many details and yet so much room for interpretation. It really is the stroke of a genius from Villeneuve and I think he's about to become my favorite director.
And also: this video/channel is insanely underrated, this is serious high quality stuff you're making here, keep it up man! :))
Villeneuve is one of my favorites of all time, I think if you liked Enemy, you'll love his other work.
And thanks for the kind words!! Just gotta keep making videos hahah
although Nolan is my favorite Director but this is my favorite film of all time. btw 400 views for this level of quality is just mind boggling
Thank you so much for the praise Samuel - glad you liked the video, more on the way! Love Enemy, it's definitely top 5 for me, it's criminally underrated
@@TakeTwoReviews I live in Toronto. This movie portray the atmosphere of Toronto perfectly. Exactly how I see toronto. A depressing metropolitan
@@samcjsattt damn, that's wild. I know that in a director's commentary, Villeneuve said that they actually didnt need to edit the city's wide shots to capture the mood - the summer smog already gave it the dystopian look he was going for. Wild.
i thought i was the only one who thought that about Toronto. @@samcjsattt
god damn this was crazy espacilly at the end. thx for this video man
I just watched this film, and couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted to watch a video essay on it and yours was the first. I'm not sure if others could compare, you did a great job. And pointed out to me that I missed so much in this film, which makes me love it more. Thanks!
Wow, thank you for this essay, it was a joy to watch and gave me a better understanding and insight into how truly great the film is. Great job man, keep it up and am looking forward for more content.
This video should get a lot more of views, I loved the content! and the edit is GOD!
Thank you very much!! Glad you liked it so much ☺️
You are hands down the best content creator on CZcams. These videos provide layers of depth that heighten each film ten fold. Please keep putting out content, the film buffs know you are the Truth! Much love from the Bay Area!!!!!!
This is honestly an amazing analysis, excellent work on this. I’m writing a paper about Enemy because I loved it so much and I’m probably going to use quite a few of your points (cited of course). This entire breakdown is spot on, but what I love about enemy is that it isn’t limited to only interpretation. The ambiguity and subtleness leave it mysterious but layered. Thanks for providing some insight.
Hey - thanks a lot! Really appreciate your words and I'm happy you liked Enemy as much as I did. Definitely a layered movie!
This video is amazing! Easily one of the best video essays I have ever seen. How it doesn't have more views is beyond me.
Thank you Daniel! Need to get back on the grind
Fantastic video! Thank you for making it
I watch video essays all the time and I gotta hand it to you: this is one of the best I`ve ever seen for such a difficult and complex movie too. How you catch the tiniest details in an insignificant scene is really impressive. Your channel is massively underrated!
Thank you Serdar! Very much appreciated :) Next video will cover It Follows, will be getting pretty dug into the detail of that movie as well - stay tuned!
Late to discovering this movie and your channel, but this was excellently made man. Cannot wait to see what other perspectives and analyses you have to offer !
Thank you Elias! Getting back into the swing of things, currently working on Swallow from Mirabella-Davis and then going to take a look at some new releases
Just watched this movie and absolutely love this analysis. This video on every level editing, sound design, graphics is seriously great, it is insane you are not getting more recognition! The ONLY thing i’d say is that it would really help the feel of your videos to have nice, clean audio. Obviously this doesn’t take away from the brilliant amount of effort put into everything else so please keep it up!
Hey Joseph, really appreciate the honest feedback, and happy you liked my take on Enemy!
You'll be happy to know I was already considering that, and this video was actually the last that I did with my crappy 10 dollar mic. All of my videos following this one (The Father, Under the Skin, The Place Beyond the Pines) have nice, clean, buttery sound :) Check them out if you like those movies!
This is a great analysis, thank you! Can't believe I missed the motif of spiderwebs, it feels so obvious now that you've pointed it out.
It somewhat lurks but I thought the spiders themselves helped me notice them ☺️
amazing work, Villeneuve is quickly becoming my favorite director
Same, he hasn’t missed yet
This was phenomenal, well done man!
Hey thanks Filip! Glad you liked it :)
This was excellent analysis and really helped me appreciate the movie by furthering my understanding (like the explanation of the color palette). Thank you for your work!
Thank you Samantha!! Much appreciated ☺️
Another great video essay, that earned my subscription!
Woohoo!!!
This is the fourth CZcams video I'm watching to understand more about Thai art*
Enemy cought my attention even more then Memento did
AMAZING analysis!
This is so beautiful..thank you
Ah - thank you so much! Happy you enjoyed it :)
Really good explanation of Villeneuve's visual meaning great job!!
Thank you very much!
This video is so well made
This is great man, keep it up
Thanks Trugoy, appreciate it! Next video is under way, can't wait to share :D
Just watched the movie and needed some answers hahah, thank you for the well-made video
Please make more analysis, yours is the only one that makes sense and don't leave the details out.
I’m working on it! Currently revisiting Swallow from 2019, check it out if you haven’t already!
Have seen this movie tens of times. watched plenty of reviews. this one is easily my favorite analysis. very solid stuff man!
Thank you very much!
Liked and subscribed! Epic work!
Brilliant Analysis! Make a Video Essay on Steve McQueen Films especially Hunger(2008) and Shame(2011).
This is a incredible video!
Denis Villeneuve is probably one of the best Director working today
I'm not fan of his Blade Runner 2049 but i really adore Prisoners
Did you catch Dune?
Bravo! Great analysis 👏
Thank you 🥰
Trying to give this movie overall meaning is not it's point. The spider(s) are the prime symbol and are associated with "time" - a pattern that repeats over and over. Desire and curiosity is what drives the purpose of the characters in the movie.The characters don't realize the web of time and that they are actually caught and emeshed in the web because of their curiosity and desires. Villeneuve, I think, wants us to question what we are deeply curious about and how strongly desires drive us.
Interesting take. I'm not sure I agree with spiders representing time (especially due to how they are presented), but I definitely agree that the film is an exploration of desires and curiosity. Thanks for the comment Charles!
Denis Villaneuve is my favourite director right now. Such a humble but incredibly talented man!
He makes arrogant over hyped directors like rian johnson look so foolish
I like some of Rian Johnson's work but Villeneuve is DEFINITELY a cut above the rest. So unbelievably hype for Dune!
@@TakeTwoReviews yeah I cant wait for dune!
@@TakeTwoReviews let me guess, brick and looper? :)
Hey i loved your review
I know its a bit late to ask but i wonder how can the cycle continue if adam later founds out anthony and mary are dead?
So is the cycle broken??
Or was it the scar he got from accident implying he is the same person having a not happy relationship with helen and cheats with mary ?
Well done. I love these kinds of movies
Thanks!
I believe the movie the ENEMY has the fight against authority as it’s main message. However, what in the first minutes might seem as a fight against big authority, like government or institutions, is actually a message of how authority in the most intimate of relationships, family, can break us. Let us pick apart the movie, shall we?
Adam, the main chatacter is a history teacher.
Duraing a class he says: "Control. All about control. Every dictatorship ha sone obsession, and that's it. In ancien Rome they gave them bread and circuses. They kept the populace busy with entertainment. But other dictatorships use other strategies to control ideas, knowledge….they censor any means of individual expression". At first glance this seems obvious, but we will see how it permeates Adams own personal relationships.
Even the imagery of Adam walking through a tunnel shows people doing the roman salute.
Now, from here the movie does a deep dive into confusion. I believe that the scenes do not come in chronological order. So, let’s begin where we always should, in the beginning.
We don’t know anything about Adam’s father but we have some interaction with his mother in this movie. And these interactions are BY FAR the most important thing in the movie, even though we only see one direct conversation between the two.
The scene with their conversation, while in the middle of the movie, sets up the fundamental pillar of understanding Adam. He shares with his mother his issue of having found another person exactly like him. What does his mother do? She denies it. She questions the methods with which such conclusion was reached and then she says she will hear nothing more of it. We can see several toxic behaviours here. Discredit, in which she doesn’t believe he did a good job enough to prove whatever he is saying really is true. Dismissive and authoritarian, in which she brushes off the issue and says she never wants him to speak about it again “You don’t want advice”. Uncaring and narcissistic: this seems something serious to Adam, yet she doesn’t want to deal with it. She then presses her authority over him, telling him the last things he needs is going to hotels with men because he has enough trouble sticking with one woman. “Don’t you?”. Shen then gives him blueberries. When he says he doesn’t like blue berries she retorts: “Of course you do, they’re good for you”. We can see that even small things in life were instilled in him. This and her telling him to quit his “fantasy” of being an actor shows that Adam had been moulded under the pressure of his mother. We can even assume that he never wanted to be a history teacher (even though this is a reach) because of her trying to convince him “you have a respectable job, you have a nice apartment”. And the way she speaks is also extremely toxic. “And if we’re being frank here, I think you should quit your fantasy…”. The language itself shows how much his mother imprinted her ideas on Adam, controlling his ideas and censoring his individuality. Exactly as in the lecture he gave about authoritarian systems. Also, we get a scene right after the conversation of a giant spider roaming throughout the city. It alludes to his mother being the spider, controlling his life. More proof for this theory is that the giant spider is very identical to a statue called Mother spider in Ottava, a city near where the movie takes place (Toronto). And let’s not forget that Villneuve is French-Canadian.
It is with this background in mind that we need to go forward to see how things unfold in Adams life.
Possibility nr 1: Anthony was created before he met his wife and she knew him as an actor.
In this possibility I assume that Anthony was created before he met his wife, and his wife always knew him as Anthony. And the reason I say that is because there is a scene where Adam calls Anthony, and Anthony’s wife calls him Anthony. Assuming this scene is real, from the wife’s perspective, she always knew him as Anthony.
Later, she finds the paper with Adam Bell, goes to the university and finds him there. She is surprised he doesn’t recognize her. When she arrives home after the encounter with Adam, she tells him “you know what’s going on”, accusing him of him obfuscating the truth (infidelity), implying that the scene at school was him being an asshole and pretending not to know her.
Possibility number 2: His wife knows him as Adam, the school teacher.
Now, there is only one instance where we hear Anthony’s wife call him Anthony. It was during the call Adam made to the apartment. The next scene when Adam calls Anthony, when the wife asks who was that, to which he answers that it was the guy from before. Now, Adam made two calls, se he could be referencing the call made…5 seconds before that one. But that doesn’t seem right, he had to be referencing the guy that called her. So, this scene has to be in Adams head too. Her googling her husbands name and his job from a paper to go to his job also doesn’t make sense. So, this scene is also in his head. The only real scenes would be when his wife comes home and, when in bed, asks how was his school day, or the last one. Again, both of them could be in Adams head alone. Well, after all he does see a huge spider in the last one. Assuming all the scenes are in his head, this possibility leans on the fact that his mind was trying to tell him that Adam and Anthony were the same person. “I think you know” and “How was the school day”. Two lines towards two different alter-egos.
I think this possibility is a stretch though.
Resuming, let’s go with possibility 1.
We know he was unfaithful to his wife before she got pregnant, and during 6 months he was faithful. He didn’t go to his agency (which is where he got the key) for 6 months, which is the same as the wife’s pregnancy time. An interesting detail is that the guy from the agency knew exactly what he wanted, implying again, his former habits. His wife also accuses him of seeing her AGAIN after Adam calls Anthony. That call might have even been from the guys to give him the new key to the strip club, and he didn’t want the wife to find out.
We also see the scenes with his mistress. I believe those scenes are from before the pregnancy. Also, Anthony taking Adams girlfriend for a spin was at the same time he found out about the pregnancy. He was terrified so he went out for a day to run away from the impending tightening of the web. However, they got into a fight. It is interesting that the moment Adams girlfriend rejects Anthony and the fight starts, which leads to the crash, Adam wakes up as if from a nightmare, pacing back and forwards and crying. I think that those are memories that still torment him. A very important detail is why Anthony explodes. He was angry during the conversation, but when the mistress says “you’re not a man” is when things truly derail. I think this is part of Adams trauma. His mother emasculated him all his life, belittling his opinions and dreams. When the same accusation came again during the fight is when Anthony exploded.
The death of Anthony was a great milestone for Adam. He had detached himself from the womanizer, insecure, afraid of commitment parts of him and put them in Anthony. He then killed Anthony. He did this unknowingly. We can see that he is more caring towards his wife, and he had no idea what the doorman was talking about (the doorman was also in the strip club I the beginning and he was talking about it in the elevator).
And here comes the grand finale. Adam opens the package that he got from the agency. He considers it. Then, his wife talks to him about a call from his mother, which again, we had one in the beginning of the movie, patronising him about the place he lived, of course, in a loving way, yet still reducing himself a person. The key plus him having to call his mother pulled at his strings, and in that moment, he felt trapped all over again. He asks his wife if she had any plans, and then sees a giant, cowering spider in the room. He looks at the spider, and nods slightly in acceptance.
Why was his wife a spider? The same reason he saw the woman in the hall, naked with the head of a spider, the same reason he saw his mother as a spider. He felt their strings pulling at him, and he felt himself be less, himself. Even the poster himself, shows a spider inside his brain.
Infidelity was his weapon against them.
But, why was the spider scared? Because him wielding the sword meant they had less control over him, and it scared them. This is why Adam nods at the end. His twisted view of women as spiders, trying to control him, and him using infidelity as a tool to fight them, frightened the spider.
This symbolism is also present in the first scene, the strip club scene, which I believe is actually the last scene of the movie. The naked ladies trying to squash the spider is Adam interpreting him freeing himself from the influence of the spider through non-attachment relationships.
Also, another very curious detail in the first/last scene is Adam using both the ring and the clock. Usually, Anthony uses the ring and Adam the clock. This shows that Anthony never truly goes away. Anthony is a part of what he is.
Even the poster himself, shows a spider inside his brain.
Nicely said.
Okay, now I’m beyond impressed.
🥰🥰
Wow wow wow. This blows my mind. Amazing.
Thanks man!
Mind bending film. I enjoyed it very much!
Where do you find giant spiders? Australia.
Where is the movie set? Canada.
I imagine this movie is an allusion of regular Canadian guy's fear of being taken over by Australia. Enemy here, of course, is an Australian.
Interesting perspectives on the film, some of it is reaching a little.
For me, the colour Yellow connotes Cowardice, throughout the film Adam is washed in the tone, he's the submissive.
I think Villenuve has taken aspects he likes from filmmakers like Bergman and Lynch and created a collage of ideas. I feel the Persona/Through a Glass Darkly influence from Bergman and the Mulholland Drive/Lost Highway influence from Lynch... there's even a mysterious key and an Isabella Rosselini 😂.
The spider symbol also mimics the cowardice that Adam portrays. The tarantula is afraid and unbeknownst to it, the subject of the gaze of others, waiting to be crushed.
It's an interesting film, I do like a lot of the symbology and performance from Jake.
Someone else may have pointed this out already. Anthony's pipe dream of becoming an actor is something he so desperately wants to be real that, when Helen asks him who was on the phone, he tells her it was a "stalker" as if to say, "See? This isn't a waste of time. I have real talent that others recognize!" And Adam even tells Anthony that he's a fan of his work. If you assume this is truly one man who wants to meet his doppelganger, that's an odd thing to mention.
And when Helen visits Adam, it appears to the audience that she's freaked out by the similarities in appearance. She's really just dismayed that Anthony thinks he's Adam and doesn't recognize his own wife. And when Anthony asks Helen why there's someone who looks just like him, Helen tearfully responds, "I think you know." She and Anthony have been dealing with his disorder for some time.
This is an unbelievable analysis sir! This is my favourite film of all time so to see such love and care put into this is amazing. I'd really love to see another video of yours on this movie as I feel like you could go on! Subscribed man thank you! 💖
Ahhh thank you - it’s in my top five for sure, so so good. Cheers!
Fascinating video essay! Your attention to detail and passion really come through in this in-depth analysis, thank you so much, you just earned a new subscriber sir! Enemy is also my favourite Villeneuve film followed by Prisoners!
Thanks Grace! Love Enemy and Prisoners, crazy to think they were made one right after the other, both Villeneuve and Gyllenhaal are really masters at what they do. Thanks for joining the channel!
One of the best youtube movie chanel out here, keep up the amazing work
Hey - thanks a lot Nass, just made my day! Next video on the Safdie brothers is dropping tomorrow, hope you like it :)
@@TakeTwoReviews hell yes! Uncut Gems became one of my favourite movie so Im hype
(And please make a Letterboxd, it would be awesome) :)
@@nassmamba2301 Ayy yeah, Uncut Gems definitely feels like the crowning jewel of their catalogue thus far. If you liked that movie, you'll like what I cooked up hahah.
I have a Letterboxd! But I'm realllly bad at using it, and only keep it to track what movies I watch, I don't have time to write reviews between this and working full time hahah.
This is the link in case you're still interested, maybe I'll get more active on it in the future: letterboxd.com/Real_take_two/
@@TakeTwoReviews Just followed you thanks man !
Great analysis. However, it wasn’t an unnamed hotel. 6:20 Anthony calls Adam at the school and tells him he wants to meet, saying, “I know a place called the Breezway Inn,” and then adding, “It’s about an hour outside the city.”
I believe this symbolizes the lengths he went to when having affairs on his pregnant wife. His familiarity with this particular hotel proves his past patronage and the geographical location, so far away from his home and the city, suggests the lengths he would go to in order to avoid anyone seeing him with other women.
Good overview (but one that only those who've invested enough time to "decode" Enemy will likely be able to readily understand).
For me, this was easily the Villeneuve film that was hardest for me to watch simply because of the unease it provoked - i.e. the way it made me feel what it must be like to fall into madness (or, as it turns out, to live in a bifurcated state of madness that has already lasted six months or so in the film's own apparent time-line).
Though all of his films aim to instill particular moods (most of which remind me of music in minor keys), some are easier to appreciate than others. In declining order of "upliftingness" (not the right term, I know, and not necessarily how I would rank them in terms of their technical worth or general appeal to cinemaphiles), I'd personally rank those of his films I have seen as follows:
1. BR 2049
2. Arrival
3. Incendies
4. Polytechnique
5. Prisoners
6. Sicario
7. Enemy
Hi David - thank you for the kind words. I definitely agree that Enemy is his most uneasy film - it almost feels like encountering a bear cub in the wild, and stopping to wonder if its protective mother is around the corner. And like you say, the film does take a certain focus to decode. It's certainly a movie that rewards you for paying attention.
It also feels so different compared to Villeneuve's other movies, I don't think anything else went as deep in terms of surrealism. It seems that he's locked into sci-fi right now with Arrival/BR2049/Dune, but would love to see more movies like Enemy from him.
Tone aside, what's your favorite Villeneuve film?
@@TakeTwoReviews Depends on my mood, of course. But in terms of how long the emotional "high" of watching them stayed with me, I'd have to say Incendies - which also has the unique feature of being the best (and perhaps only "great") film in my native dialect, giving it a special place in my heart. I'd place Arrival close second behind it, though.
In terms of sheer cinematic spectacle - pending the release of Dune - it has to be BR 2049, of course.
Apart from their overall cinematic excellence, all of his films that I've seen generally combine mental challenges to the head with emotional punches to the gut (with the exceptions of Polytechnique and Dune - where I knew/know how the story ends without having to see the film and have to settle for cinematically induced gut punches). While I dearly love Nolan-esque mental challenges, it's the particular mix of the intellectual and the emotional in Villeneuve's films that gives them (and Incendies and Arrival in particular) their particular edge for me.
@@PeloquinDavid Incendies is definitely one of his best - and that's saying something, considering how high Villeneuve sets the bar in each of his films. Arrival hit me quite hard through both it's themes and because of personal experience. What a movie.
I definitely have high hopes for Dune, it's just a shame that it won't be released in theater's (at least, not immediately). I've been eagerly reading up Dune lore to make sure nothing is missed, hahah
I 100% agree with what you say about the combination of mental challenges and emotional hardship. I think Villeneuve really pushes the characters he creates, and is a master at creating consistency, and then subverting it, on screen. He really has an amazing emotional IQ, especially considering the variety in the themes that he tackles.
Just to add, I remember an article that said that instead of "show, don't tell", Villeneuve practices a "suggest, don't show". I think the way that he pushes his characters, also pushes his audience to pay attention. Truly a master.
In one of the first scenes in the film we see his pregnant wife sitting on the bed, looking back at the camera. This IS the final scene of the film. Adam doesn't see a giant spider in the room (obviously) he sees his pregnant wife sitting on the bed, thinking about what he just said about "going out" and knowing what it means.
I would love to know the music at the beginning of the video!
You’ve done some great work!
Hey!! I'll check this evening and get back to you - I was really trying to capture the unsettling, "spidery" feel that the movie has
Wow very well explained!!!
Thank you!
You’re welcome!! 😁
Wow . What a video essay ...
Man what a great, great analysis. Glad I found your channel, you'll be blowing up soon muahahah
Thanks man! Been pretty busy with life but should be back with another video soon 😊
Hey man as a cinema lover I really like your channel and appreciete the effort you put in. But I see that you haven’t uploaded a video for over a 7 month, I hope everything is okey and it would be so cool if you came back to youtube
Appreciate it man, trying to make a comeback!
Next video is out tomorrow!
@@TakeTwoReviews so cool to hear man god bless you
Thanks
Amazing video.
🥰🥰
How were you able to upload this without copyright strike?
Hey - there are a bunch of channels on YT that do what I do in regards to editing. Basically need to toe the line of 'fair use' and YT policy. I've gotten strikes in the past, and gone back to edit the video so that it could be published. Hope that helps!
Repetition is hell, but also
Repetition legitimizes
Repetition legitimizes
Repetition legitimizes
thx
Wow
What is your process for writing a video essay on a film, if you dont mind me asking?
Hi - absolutely!
It's a fairly long process but I'll generally watch a movie once through, then a second time but while pausing it a bunch of times and taking notes. Generally, I'll have an idea of what topic I'd want to write on based on that first or second viewing, so I try to write down time-stamps in the movie that I think would fit well with an essay.
From there the writing process can get fairly long - I usually try to find supporting clips or articles about the film that support the topic I'm running with. It really is like writing a 'light' version of an essay first, and then changing the language so that it flows better when read out loud. It always takes multiple days at least.
I think the most important part here is making sure that your video/editing supports your script, instead of them being two separate things. I include specific instances of the movie, and formulate my writing with those moments in mind.
Hope that helps! Happy to answer any more questions :)
I think the spider in the end is the representation of what adam sees as his wife, a dominant character that needs to be crushed, an opposite of his own desires, hence he takes pleasure in seeing it crushed under the heels of another woman, his love affair.
No you pretty much got it, damn
Do you guys think the scar was from the car crash?
I think the final scene should have shown him looking at the recoiling spider, backng away in shame and sadness,,,
maybe shedding a tear and uttering "Im sorry" before turning and leaving to have his next affair...
In spanish it would be: "claro-oscuro" (chiaroscuro)
Hero!
Focus on high high heels is an indicator suppression and helplessness?
Well - not in isolation. But considering the films themes, and the occasions in which high heels are present and focused on (the opening scene, the bus scene, the colossal women etc.) + the literal visualisation of Anthony being stepped on, held enough weight for me to see it as an intention motif in the film (which also fits with Anthony’s conflicting views on women).
Hope that helps!
it has been pointed out that the two personas/ his doppelganger never meet in public. his wife is also never in public with him with other people present, the fact that she turns into a spider at the end of the film may indicate that she is not real either
The more I learn..the more am confused
If you went into the movie blind your supposed to. If you know Adam's wife turns into a spider it ruins the movie. The first thing youre supposed to become aware of is Adam doesnt talk to his wife or has any interaction with her except sex. Then when he realizes theres a twin thats an actor is when he forces himself on her and she says "I'll call you in a week", the first indication thats not his wife. Adam is the thesis and Anthony trapped Adam into his affair and Adam doesnt know where he is. Anthony is denying Adam his relationship with his wife and trapping him in his affair. Thus Anthony is upset Adam involved his wife and she seemed happy to hear his voice on the phone, because she hates Anthony but loves Adam. Even the woman Anthony is having an affair with is trying to have a relationship with Adam. Hence why he's there. Anthony is the enemy and Adam appears to win. But then his wife turns into a giant spider indicating its not the happy ending, When Adam realizes he needs to take on the roll of Adam and do the eyes wide shut hollywood stuff because he has to go. So Adam and Anthony are the same person and died in a car crash and the cycle repeats itself in Dantes inferno. Even when Anthony, supposes they might be brothers its from the audiences perspective as its where youre supposed to be in the movie at that point. Not huffing your own flagellant from a wine glass as a movie elite superior. Thats a real Anthony move. Also the whole blaming women as spiders. The hurt spider is just a motif. Both Adam and the Apartment Concierge tell us that they "have to go" to imply there is no choice.
🙂😃👍
00:52 🚨 Spoiler Alert This video contains spoilers for the movie "Enemy," proceed at your own risk.
1:09 🎥 Film Focus: "Enemy" is not about its narrative but rather about its characters, particularly exploring the subconscious of the protagonist, Anthony.
1:57 🌈 Colors: The pervasive use of yellow in the film symbolizes contamination, decay, and hidden threats, contributing to a surreal consistency in the world-building.
3:43 🎨 Contrasting Colors: Villeneuve strategically employs contrasting colors, such as blue, to disrupt consistency and visually represent Adam's break from normalcy into a more surrealistic world.
5:19 🔆 Chiaroscuro: The use of light and dark, or chiaroscuro, in "Enemy" aids in conveying characters' mental states, with movements between light and darkness reflecting pivotal decisions and uncertainties.
8:00 🖼 Imagery - Women: The film's imagery consistently associates women with contradictory themes, portraying them as both objects of desire and subjugation, contributing to Anthony's feelings of powerlessness.
10:19 🕷 Spiders: The motif of spiders in the film symbolizes Anthony's fear of losing control, with their webs visually present throughout, connecting themes of repetition and cycles.
11:05 ↔ Dialectics: The film explores dialectics through the characters of Adam and Anthony, representing opposing ideas that create tension, leading to a resolution that involves a loss of physical barriers between them.
12:50 🔄 Reconciliation: Anthony attempts to resolve the tension by exchanging lives with Adam, leading to the blurring and vandalism of their identities, ultimately resulting in Anthony's metaphorical destruction.
13:52 ♾ Cycles and the Unavoidable: The film's conclusion reveals that the entire movie is a prelude to its final frames, emphasizing the theme of endless, mundane, and controlling repetition.
15:36 📽 Outro: "Enemy" is highlighted as the creator's favorite Villeneuve film, and viewers are encouraged to share thoughts on any missed details, emphasizing the movie's rewatchability.
The moment he said "this is a movie about characters" less than it is a great narrative gave me full clarity as to why I really couldn't stand watching this movie in comparison to Arrival. Where this movie is saturated with so much visual imagery and character study to distract from a usually funny gimmick of the same actor playing two dichotomous characters; Arrival uses great plot devices to distract from how one dimensional the human characters are in the movie. Great video essay, was hoping it would make me want to watch it again, but all it did was remind me how yellow and off putting it was.
Hah - glad I could shed some light (even though it didn't make you want to rewatch!). To each their own - I find this one fascinating and magnetic, but also loved Arrival. I think Arrival is one of those movies you have to watch twice to truly appreciate because of how much of the movie changes after the big reveal. And not only that, but as it turns out, certain scenes that we think are the past or dreams turn out to be the future, and Amy Adams' character is experiencing them out of order. Love that movie!
@@TakeTwoReviews That part was the best thing ever to me because it could have never worked in any other movie, and yet it creates a new take on a traditional film language technique of the flashback
@@BigBellyBrookes Yep, Villeneuve's innovation is insane. The whole film feels like an experiment with the Kuleshov effect. It's one of those that is definitely better on the second watch.
Attack of the 60 foot lesbian is a movie I think also
Villeneuve was being intentionally a bit vague in what this movie is about lol.
To wrap it up in a simple bow….it’s about a man’s deep seeded fear of commitment & the unhealthy way he views women.
The spiders throughout are how he subconsciously sees women, a “black widow” that will swallow you up.
This is why his interaction with his mother is shown, she’s domineering, probably was the alpha of the household which gave way to his worldview of women.
Then that “wtf” moment at the end was just a visual representation that he’s giving into temptation & will repeat the same cycle.
Who is Anthony on the phone with? His wife is correct in not believing him so who is it?
it's pronounced "k'yAroskUro"
🙌
I find the explanation and themes dissapointing. Yea it works but this could have been about something so much greater and other worldly. I wished the director didn't explain it
All these years I didn't know how to WATCH MOVIES.
I always thought entertainment was the main reason to watch and not keeping track of all the hidden symbolism and philosophical mumbo jumbo. 😬🤔