The Double is a 2013 British black comedy thriller film written and directed by Richard Ayoade and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska.

It is based on the 1846 novella The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, about a man driven to breakdown when he is usurped by a doppelgänger.

He talks to detectives, who explain that if the man had jumped a few feet to the right, he would have been badly hurt but would have survived.

He calls an ambulance and accompanies her to the hospital, where it is revealed that she not only overdosed but also miscarried (she had become pregnant after a sexual encounter with James).

Lacking medical attention, the handcuffed James appears to be on the brink of death as he lies motionless on the apartment floor.

In February 2012 it was reported that Richard Ayoade would direct The Double, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska, in the United Kingdom.

[4][6] The score by Andrew Hewitt features a recurring progression of heavy chords played by strings.

[11] The film opened in seventy one cinemas in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2014 to $467,074 on its first weekend, going on to gross $1,272,555 during its total run.

The consensus states "Hauntingly bleak and thrillingly ambitious, The Double offers Jesse Eisenberg a pair of compelling roles while reaffirming writer-director Richard Ayoade's remarkable talent.

Ayoade's avant garde, experimental style and minimalist set design sound like an odd couple, but they actually work great together.He also goes on to praise Eisenberg's performance, saying: In his best work since The Social Network, Eisenberg portrays the polarized personalities of Simon and James with such ease.

In between the fast-paced dialogue and front-lit shots there is also a very complex story that leaves the ending open to interpretation.