The word Doppelganger itself has a German orientation. Generally, the word is used to describe any ‘look-alike’ of a person. But, in other sense, it is used to describe the sensation or feelings of one for having glimpsed oneself in the ‘peripheral vision’. But, at the same time, it has nothing to do with one’s reflection onto the mirror or the mirror image. It is something like one’s alternate self. In some traditions, doppelgangers are generally regarded as ‘harbingers’ of bad luck, illness, even as ‘omen’ of death.
Now, the question is, is it a mere phenomenon or a psychological disorder? ‘The Nature’ reported in September 2006 that, in a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, a patient was having the experience of the presence of another person in her ‘extra personal space’. As she was being treated for epilepsy under the observation of Dr. Shahar Arzy and his colleagues, the focal electrical stimulation was applied to her left temporoparietal junction. At that time, she felt the presence of another person, ‘looks’ exactly like her or the body posture identical to her. As the conclusion of this ‘strange sensation’, Dr. Arzy argued that left temporoparietal junction of the brain evokes the sensation of ‘self-image’, ‘body-location’. When this left temporoparietal junction is disturbed by anything, ‘the sensation of self attribution is broken and may be replaced by the sensation of a foreign presence or copy of oneself displaced nearby. This copy mirrors the real person’s body posture....’
But, this kind of phenomenon can be seen is case of ‘mentally ill persons’, who have either ‘schizophrenia accompanied by paranoia’ or ‘delusions of persecution and of alien control’, as suggested by Arzy. This can also be identical to various existing psychological problems like ‘monothematic delusion’, ‘syndrome of subjective doubles’ or ‘out of body experience’. Although the above patient was mentally fit, her left temporoparietal junction of brain was disturbed by the stimulation.
Whatever the psychological reason is, this article has something to do with the application of the phenomenon Doppelganger in films worldwide. The first among the films on this phenomenon to be noted is ‘The Doppelganger’, directed by Avi Nersher, made in 1993, with Drew Barrymore in the lead role. Dealing with the story of a beautiful young girl named Hurley, cast by Barrymore, the film shows us how the girl is being blamed for the murders of her own mother, father and an attempt of murder on her brother, which are believed to be committed by her, but ‘not her exactly’. The girl gives excuses of her own doppelganger, who, she believes, has committed all those murders. Hurley claims that she can see her own doppelganger, can meet her in person, who looks exactly like her. The film goes through a series of ‘strange’ as well as ‘erotic’ events which lead to an ending, which is nothing but a bloody mess! Instead of dealing with the exact phenomenon of doppelganger or its psychological impression, the film shows a psychologically ill person, who takes the disguise of Hurley and commits all the crimes as he wants to get Hurley into his possession. He seems to be obsessed by the physical beauty of the girl. The film ends with the killing of the person by the ‘real doppelganger’ of the girl.
In order to show that the girl has 2 split personalities (one is good, another is evil), which is a very common phenomenon Hollywood generally deals with, the film literally has to split the girl into 2 skeletons from a flesh and blood human being. But, how can it be possible biologically, the film does not give any logical explanation about it. Undoubtedly, it is a very bad effort on the doppelganger phenomenon.
Next film we have to deal with on the same phenomenon is a Japanese one, by the same name. The Doppelganger in Japanese is directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. This film more or less deals with the phenomenon of doppelganger as the harbinger of death. Takashi dies because he has met with his own doppelganger. His sister, Yuka, explains to the scientist, Hayashaki San, her sensation about the doppelganger of her brother, who lives with her after his death. This scientist, on the other hand, has also been meeting his own doppelganger and facing huge trouble because of him (his own alternate self, as the self himself claims) in his workplace as well as in his personal life. Takashi’s sister believes that the huge mental burden of her brother because of the Newcomer Award in novel (on which he was working) has led him to immense depression and finally he has chosen to commit suicide. According to Yuka, through the doppelganger, Takashi has met with his ‘ideal self’. But Takashi’s doppelganger seems to be a very strange one, who has no similarity with in nature or behavior with original Takashi.
Simultaneously, Hayashaki San is fired from his workplace because of the mess created by his own doppelganger. Here also, the doppelganger seems to be a different human being, though he looks exactly like the scientist. He destroys Hayashaki’s tremendous toil, the autonomous chair for the disabled persons. This doppelganger is exactly opposite of Hayashaki, who even murders Takashi’s doppelganger. Here also, he has been dealing with immense mental stress. So, the screen portrayal tells us that a person can meet his own doppelganger, when he is burdened with immense psychological burden (which can be similar to the pressure on left temporoparietal junction of brain). Through meeting this alternate self, he or she can reach to the point of meeting the ‘ideal self’, what he or she has always been wishing to be.
In Kiyoshi’s Doppelganger, the alternate self brings Hayashaki the contract with Medicon Industries, which was his dream. The doppelganger makes love to Yuka, and later explains to Hayashaki that he has always been wishing to do that but cannot achieve. As his doppelganger, he only fulfills San’s desire.
But, at last, we see the film portrays the doppelganger of Hayashaki San as a different human being, whom he kills by his own hand. The man seems to be a different one from the moment he kills his doppelganger. Once he explains to Yuka that from then on he would do whatever he wishes to. The doppelganger, on the other hand tells Hayashaki before ‘his’ death that soon they would merge into one. Kiyoshi Kurosawa shows at one point of time that the 2 selves of Hayashaki San merge into one and also they split into 2 different human beings at another point of time very interestingly through superimposition, animation and split screen.
It seems that after the doppelganger dies, the 2 selves have merged into one complete Hayashaki San, who does everything according to his desire. It is not the previous Hayashaki who was so dazed and confused, cheated by everybody. It is a completely different Hayashaki whose wishes are accomplished by himself. Thus, he kills Kimishima, his assistant, flees with Yuka, does not even die when Kimishima runs the truck over him and finally, he does not sell his dream project to Medicon Industries. Rather, he hits Takado when he opens his car door to get the machine out. He again flees with Yuka and stops beside a seaside. The machine suddenly gets the power to be self-driven and runs towards the sea. It finally drowns into the sea. And Hayashaki’s dream is shattered into pieces, as if he has desired to destroy his dream project rather than to sell it to anyone else.
So, both of the films do not go with the actual idea or phenomenon of doppelganger. The doppelganger is not a different human being. It is like one’s own image that he/she can see but cannot control. These films do not handle the phenomenon of doppelganger as ‘one is having glimpsed oneself in the peripheral vision’. A man and his doppelganger do not converse with each other. The 2nd film rather goes on with the idea that the unfulfilled desires can only be accomplished if one meets his/her ideal self through his/her own doppelganger. Rather, the doppelganger helps to bring out the ‘unconscious’ into forefront. Through the doppelganger, we come to know our hidden desires, which is impossible for us to work out according to Lacan. Lacan says we have need, demand and desire. This desire can never be fulfilled because our desire lives in our unconscious, which we can never encounter. So, there is obviously psychological part attached with the phenomenon which is needed to be excavated more and more. As an art form, as an audio-visual form, film can always help us to understand the truth about the doppelganger phenomenon. This type of application also enhances our desire to know more about the strange phenomenon existing beyond our world of knowledge.
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