The popular KVIFF Horizons section screens films that were acclaimed or won awards at other major film festivals worldwide. That is the case with the thriller A Different Man, telling a story of an actor with a deformed face who experiences an identity crisis after his recovery, for which Sebastian Stan won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at Berlinale.
“I didn’t write the role for him personally and even after a colleague sent him the script and he expressed his interest, I couldn’t believe such a star would actually agree to be in the film. But he was very committed to the project and greatly contributed to its success,” director Aaron Schimberg told the KVIFF audience at a debate held at the Lázně III Cinema. “Many actors would find this role excessively demanding, both because of the mask you had to wear and because of the protagonist’s substantial inner transformation. For Sebastian, that was indeed the reason why he immersed himself in the role, commended him producer Christine Vachon, who is a member of this year’s KVIFF.
The film, touching on the body horror genre, will please fans of Lynch or Cronenberg, even though the director was not inspired by their works, or at least not in any particular way. “I naturally tend to like older films, including the films located in New York that Christine produced. My work also undoubtedly reflects everything I saw growing up,” Schimberg said when asked about his role models.
