Freud Theory

Freud proposed that the human psyche was not one entity, but actually composed of three separate aspects. These are called the Id, Ego and Superego.

Firstly, the Id is the part of us that has the most primal instincts, such as aggression and sexual desires. This version of us does not conform to today's societal norms, and is the most representative of our original ancestors, as these traits were needed for humans to desire, but we have not and will not completely subside completely. These characteristics are often controlled but some times they become our primary intentions.

The Superego is the part of us that has been shaped and moulded by societal norms and conventions. This part of us is created with a strive for perfection and takes in to account how our regulated society wants us to be. This model acts solely on what is 'morally correct' and is in a constant conflict with the Id to control us.

The Ego is in the middle of the Id and Superego and can be thought of as the conclusion that we come to when considering both the desires of the Ego and Id. It is the middle ground between the two and often compromises between them to satisfy the needs of both. As it is, the Ego is the version of ourselves that we project most often to the outside world, as the other two are too extreme versions of ourselves for us to be seen as a normal person.




Enemy is a 2013 psychological thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve, which centres around a teacher who spots an actor that looks exactly like him. Through multiple meetings between the two, it becomes clear that they are the same person but the film doesn't make it explicitly obvious that this is the case: it is left to the viewer to make this connection. The Freudian theory can be applied to this film, as the Id, Ego and Superego can be clearly seen in the main characters.

Adam Bell, the teacher version of the character is the Superego. He is a teacher with a wife who lives his life in a sensible fashion, doesn't over indulge and does his best to live in the 'right' way.

Anthony however, is the Id, who has more of a primal instinctual approach to his life. He is an actor, and indulges more than Adam. He has a girlfriend, which is the first sign of this because he isn't as ready to make his girlfriend his wife. This could be assumed to be because he want's to sleep around with different women and doesn't want to be 'tied down' by a societal norm. He also has more of a 'badass' persona, such as riding a motorbike which leads to you seeing him with a leather jacket and a helmet on his bike. This is very much a parallel perspective to the character compared to Adam, and it's clear the differences are purposely created.

The Ego is created and shaped by the conflict between the two, and also the character's girlfriend and wife who control and reinforce their different lifestyles.

Another example of a film that you can apply Freud's theory too is Fight Club (1999) Directed by David Fincher. The way the Id Ego and Superego are used in this film is subtle and only revealed to the audience throughout the film with little hints with a big reveal towards the end of the film. In this film, Tyler Durden represents the Id, as he has a primal drive, he is greedy and self indulgent, he is physically attractive and he finds it easy to get female attention. He is everything that the narrator wants to be and strives to achieve. The narrator on the other hand is the Ego, who lives a mundane routine and boring life. He obeys the law and has to have everything planned to a T. His apartment represents his materialistic desires, as everything is set up, clean and seems like it was bought together in a package to give it an overall look and theme. He is organized and everything must be correct and fit together.



During the reveal scene, the Narrator is on the phone to Marla. Marla can be considered as the Superego in the text, as she is the one getting the Narrator to go to self help groups and to try to understand himself more, whereas Tyler is the opposite of that and the Narrator is being pulled between the two of them. There is a wide panning shot that reveals that the narrator is sat in a room with Tyler. The shot shows Tyler sat in a chair in a relaxed pose and his voice is quiet and calm. Opposed to this, the Narrator is stood up and panics when he realises that he isn't alone. The shot pans quickly and shows a lot of energy even though it is only two people in a room. The shot also tracks backwards slightly which emphasises the movement. Also, there is a shot reverse shot where the shot of the narrator includes Tyler in it two which could be to show that Tyler knows that they are the same person, however the shot of Tyler (from the Narrator's point of view) doesn't include both of them, implying that he is not aware of them being the same person yet, as all that is shown is Tyler.