Director: Aaron Schimberg
Sebastian Stan trades his own face for someone else's in this unsettling 2024 identity thriller from director Aaron Schimberg, a film that turns a medical fantasy into a slow-burn character study.
What is A Different Man about?
Edward is an aspiring actor whose facial condition has kept him boxed into pity and rejection for most of his life, so when a doctor offers an experimental procedure that could give him an entirely new appearance, he takes the risk. The transformation works better than he could have hoped, and Edward starts over under a new name, landing auditions and drawing attention he never received before. His fresh start unravels when a playwright begins developing a piece inspired by his old life and casts a man named Oswald, someone who shares Edward's original condition but carries himself with an ease and charisma Edward never managed. Watching another person embody his own history more convincingly than he ever could forces Edward to confront how little the surgery actually changed about who he is underneath.
Cast & crew
Sebastian Stan takes on the lead role opposite Renate Reinsve, known internationally for The Worst Person in the World, with Adam Pearson delivering a standout supporting turn as Oswald. Director Aaron Schimberg, who has previously explored disability and perception in his earlier work, builds the film around performances that lean into discomfort rather than easy sympathy.
Context & significance
Released in 2024 and blending comedy with thriller elements, the film sits alongside a wave of recent releases interrogating appearance, identity, and how audiences project meaning onto faces. It premiered to strong reception on the festival circuit before a wider theatrical release, drawing attention for Pearson's performance and for how the story sidesteps easy moralizing about transformation.
Where & how to watch
The film streams on K-Time with a Persian dub and Persian subtitles available, so viewers can choose whichever fits their preference. Reading this page and browsing the catalog is free; watching requires signing in to a K-Time account, and the interface itself is built with a Farsi-first experience for the diaspora audience.