Denis Villeneuve's film Enemy raises more questions than it answers. From the simple questions of "what is this movie about?" and "what is actually happening?" to much deeper questions regarding duality, loyalty, and potentially even mind control. I have only seen the film once, and I feel like the film deserves at least two watches before any informed discussion about its overarching themes.
However, one scene about ten minutes into the movie has stuck with me. Everything in this movie is up to interpretation, but I thought that I'd share my analysis of the classroom scene.
This scene opens with a wide shot of Toronto. The sprawling urban landscape with the CN Tower rising in the air should look majestic. However, a sickly yellow color palette and an offsetting score creates an unnerving sense of tension. This tone is pervasive throughout the movie, creating a tension unlike any movie I've ever seen. The tension is much less adrenaline-fueled than the work of the Safdie brothers, much more subtle than that of Tarantino, and much more abstract than Bong Joon-Hoo's.
Then, the tension suddenly deflates with a cut into a shot of Adam walking through a crowded hallway. The music and distorted sounds of traffic cut out to a comforting hallway ambiance. This lulls the audience to believe that the surreal, bizarre opening scene of the movie is giving way to a more traditional narrative.
Adam walks hurriedly through the hallway, surrounded on all sides by students. Nicolas Bolduc's cinematography leaves Adam as the only element in the shot that is in focus. This visually sets him apart from his surroundings, tying in to Adam's larger feelings of isolation in society. The "smart-side" lighting style leaves most of his face covered in darkness, with a hard edge light striking the left side of his face. This dramatic lighting contrast seems unusual for a college hallway, further driving across Adam's inner conflict by literally depicting the fight between lightness and darkness.
"Control. Every dictatorship has that one obsession."
Adam has become a history teacher, framed against a chalkboard covered with chaotic thoughts. Opening the classroom scene with this composition sets Adam apart from his class, further cementing his feeling of isolation. The nearly illogical ramblings written on the chalkboard are in distinct contrast to his relaxed teaching style. His calm demeanor is overwhelmed by the visual weight of the notes, suggesting that his outwards appearance fails to represent his inner conflict. This theme becomes more and more prevalent as the film progresses, and we see Adam struggling with loyalty and duality.
"In ancient Rome they gave the people bread and circuses..."
As the shot pans over to reveal the class, Adam exemplifies his claim about dictatorships. The "brainwashing" of "bread and circuses" that he discusses raises an immediate question as we observe the classroom. Nearly every student is fixated on their laptop, typing their notes instead of engaging in the discussion. Are they living in a dictatorship of sorts, lulled by the "bread and circuses" of technology? This concern sticks with Adam throughout the movie.
When he walks home to his apartment, he always passes through a tunnel with paintings of what seems to be men giving Nazi salutes. Adam is always in a disheveled state as he walks through this tunnel, stressed and walking briskly. It's hard to imagine a tunnel like this actually existing outside of modern Toronto, so it's fair to assume that it is a figment of Adam's imagination. This worry that technology is an agent of dystopian control is a subtle undertone of Adam's inner conflicts throughout the film. For example, Adam uses what looks like an early 2000s cell phone while Anthony uses a smartphone. When asked, he reveals that he never watches movies. This seems to reveal a distrust in technology and media, playing into his sense of paranoia.
The camera swings around Adam, reaching a near 360 degree rotation. Such dramatic camera motion is typically associated with epic scenes from superhero movies, made famous in Avengers. However, it's hard to imagine this shot from Enemy to be evoking these same emotions. The contrast between shot choice and content contributes to an unsettling feeling which is persistent throughout the movie. The camera movement is almost too smooth, and too perfect, making the movie feel like some sort of surreal dream.
The sickly coloring style from the first shot of the scene is especially pronounced in this frame. The colors are nearly monochromatic; all one shade of greenish-yellow. Neither Adam or his students wear anything colorful, which may be symbolic of his claims about dictatorship's clamping down on individual expression. Throughout the film, the main characters wear only whites, blacks, and pale blues. Likewise, pedestrians on the streets of Toronto wear similarly unassuming clothing, fading into the imposing urban landscape.
These careful choices in wardrobe, location, and set design play into the interpretation that Adam is overwhelmed and distrustful of modern society. Much like the other themes of the film, there is nothing concrete to confirm or deny this interpretation. Enemy is much more ambiguous than Villeneuve's other work like Sicario and Prisoners, ultimately leaving the meaning of the film up to the viewer's imagination.
"This is a pattern, that repeats itself."
This line has been interpreted by many to indicate that Adam's life is similarly cyclical. For example, Chris Stuckmann's breakdown of the movie argues that Adam suffers from some sort of split personality disorder, and that he falls in and out of illusions that he is the actor "Anthony Claire." As the movie ends, it seem that Adam has escaped the cycle, just to succumb to it once again. This interpretation aligns with Adam's inner conflicts and disillusionment with society. What greater expression of self doubt and disconnectedness is there than to assume an entirely different personality?
"Ok. See you next week!"
For the first time in nearly a minute, the scene cuts to a different shot. We see Adam watching his students file out of the classroom. He wears what seems to be an angry, or at least annoyed, expression. None of the students acknowledge him, thank him, or respond to him. As a student myself, I can't remember a single instance where at least one student hasn't thanked the teacher on the way out the door. In the context of the scene, this seems extremely rude. This incident plays into Adam's feeling of isolation and loneliness in society, as he seems like an outsider in his own classroom.
The final shot of the scene reveals a web of wires from the window of what sounds like a cable car or train. These wires resemble a spider's web, representative of the "spider motif" which lingers throughout the film. What spiders symbolize in Enemy deserves it's own blog post, but in the context of this early scene we can interpret Adam's feelings of isolation, distrust, and paranoia literally to be woven over his head in a restrictive web.
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