A Different Man appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Shot on 16mm film, the image looked watchable but it demonstrated the restrictions of the source.
This meant inconsistent sharpness. Close-ups looked reasonably tight but wider elements tended to lean toward the soft side of the street.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. A reflection of the film stock, grain seemed heavy, and I also witnessed a smattering of small specks and marks.
Colors leaned toward a dingy sense of amber and teal. These felt largely lifeless, another facet of the photography.
Blacks were somewhat inky, while low-light scenes came across as a bit dense. For a 16mm independent film, the image seemed adequate but it wasn’t attractive.
Did a low-budget character drama like Different Man need a Dolby Atmos soundtrack? No, and downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the end product seemed predictably low-key.
Not that the soundscape never popped to life, as it mustered some involvement at times. For instance, a thunderstorm used the various channels pretty well.
Otherwise, this became a subdued soundfield. Music showed good stereo and effects created a decent sense of place, but the track didn’t do much with the various channels most of the time.
Audio quality worked fine, with speech that appeared natural and concise. Music offered appealing range and punch.
As noted, effects usually didn’t get much to do, but those components seemed accurate and largely full. The soundtrack suited the story.
We get a few extras here, and these include an audio commentary from writer/director Aaron Schimberg and actors Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at cast and performances, sets and locations, editing and cut scenes, music, photography, and various movie specifics.
This turns into a pretty “nuts and bolts” commentary so don’t expect insights about the movie’s characters or goals or creative processes. That makes it moderately informative but more superficial than I’d like.
A featurette called About Face goes for 20 minutes, 13 seconds. It brings notes from Schimberg, Stan, Pearson, costume designer Stacey Berman, makeup designer Mike Marino, production designer Anna Kathleen, and actor Renate Reinsve.
“Face” looks at casting and the representation of disfigured people, story and characters, costumes, prosthetic makeup, sets and locations. It mixes happy talk with decent insights.
ADM BTS runs 14 minutes, 45 seconds and offers an “experimental” Super 8 flick that depicts the shoot of Man. “Experimental” means “utterly incoherent” so this becomes an intensely annoying and useless stab at a “behind the scenes” reel.
Four Deleted Scenes span a total of four minutes, 38 seconds. Most extended existing sequences, though some new material arrives as well. None of them seem memorable or especially useful.
Finally, the package includes six Collectible Postcards that feature movie photos on one side and script excerpts on the other. These seem decent enough.
As an essay about how humans perceive both physical appearance and self-confidence, A Different Man comes with the potential to give us an interesting journey. Instead, it makes no sense and can’t decide what it actually wants to tell us. The Blu-ray comes with acceptable picture and audio as well as a few bonus features. Disjointed and unsure how to achieve its goals, the movie sputters.
