The first trailer for writer/director Richard Ayoade’s new film The Double has been released online.  Based on the novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg as a government clerk whose life is destroyed after what he believes to be an exact copy of himself begins working in his office and attempts to ruin his life.  The pic looks to be significantly different from Ayoade’s last feature, Submarine, and this trailer would not be out of place in a 1970s cinema.  It’s a stylish and odd first look at the film, but it’s incredibly effective.  The film is slated to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, so look for first impressions to hit soon.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Rade Serbedzija, James Fox, and Yasmin Paige.

Via The Playlist.

Here’s a synopsis for The Double:

Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon’s exact physical double and his opposite — confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon’s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.