The skill and sophistication on display in “A Different Man” are undeniable, but if there’s an issue with the film, it may be that it’s ultimately too claustrophobically clever for its own good.

Schimberg quite pertinently situates body horror in showbiz. He uses a world that spins on appearances—cinema, advertising and off-Broadway stage—to pin down lookism—how we perceive ourselves and how others notice us based on the way we look.

Every space around Edward becomes a manifestation of his psychic discontent.

It left me thinking deeply about the relationship between self and other – not only how we perceive ourselves, but how we perceive society as perceiving ourselves.