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That protagonist is Edward, an aspiring actor who has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes bulging tumors on his face. Played by Sebastian Stan under layers of makeup, Edward is a solitary figure, who lives in a drab apartment in a New York City walk-up.

Enter Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), who moves into the apartment next door and, after her shock at seeing him, befriends Edward, discovers he’s an actor — he shows her a workplace training film about dealing with disfigured people that’s his only credit — and confesses that she’s a playwright, who says she’ll write a play for him.

Before that can happen, however, Edward has to decide whether to enter an experimental treatment program that uses high doses of a drug to destroy facial tumors.

He agrees and “A Different Man� turns sci-fi surreal, as the tumors peel off his face, at home and in public, and he transforms into a handsome sort, who’s still lost in the social world. But he catches on quickly.

And, here’s the first big twist — he entirely abandons his old life, telling people that Edward is dead and becoming a hot real estate salesman.

Twist No. 2 quickly follows — as he’s walking down the street, he sees a sign for auditions for a play titled “Edward,� that, of course, Ingrid wrote about him — a role he was literally born to play but no longer has the look to play it.

That’s about all that needs to be said about the plot of Aaron Schimberg’s film, which really catches fire and becomes darkly funny when he discovers the play.

But Adam Pearson, the third major character, who appears in the second half of the film, has to be mentioned. Pearson, an erudite Englishman who has neurofibromatosis, is fabulous as Oswald, who wanders into the play rehearsals and shakes everything up.

There’s some suspension of disbelief required for “A Different Man� to work, e.g. one would guess that Ingrid would recognize Edward’s voice and mannerisms, even if his face has changed and, at times, it’s too deliberate for its own good.

But, once it gets going, it really works, delivering an unusual, crafted story that as it explores the changes in Edward raises questions about how other, less dramatic alterations can change our lives while demonstrating how shamefully those with disfigured faces are treated.

That gives “A Different Man� more depth than most black comedies, and, in some way, makes it stranger and funnier.