The Silent Twins

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source: The Silent Twins

I have read about the "twinnies" throughout the years. I was excited to finally see a story from The Silent Twins book. However, I'm not sure I liked this adaptation. The pace was very slow. They were not identical like in real life. If they had been identical in movie, you could believe their "bonded together as one" I think a bit more. I agree from another post that I didn't feel sympathy for them. They were portrayed more like annoying twins who decided to only speak to one another and cut themselves off from the world. They didn't push the whole "one had to die for the other to live" which I think makes this story more interesting. Acting was great but story could have been told better.

I went into this movie thinking it would be a story of triumph and redemption after a hard isolated life, and it was in a way... This story is much darker than I'd anticipated. These two girls had clear struggles and no one seemed to be able to help them. They lived in their own world of beautiful fantasy, while the world around them was cold and at many times disturbing. I almost stopped watching because I had not been ready to feel the strange unsettling nature of this film, but I'm very glad I didn't. This story will stay with me for a good while. Hard to watch at times. Fascinating. Heartbreaking. True.

The movie is captivating as an entertainment, but a quick google search informed me it bears little on reality, despite the filmmaker's claim it's based entirely on facts; and the facts call for anything but entertainment. The problem is that she avoids the horrific story of the sisters, making a movie out of their fantasies stemming from post-traumatic psychosis. During a talk she said she wanted to dispel the general narrative of the "evil twins" and tell the story of artists. Indeed they're incredibly perceptive if what is depicted is true: the film begins with psychological insights by the girls of which most adults would be incapable, and which I found hard to believe. The director abruptly ended the talk on the note that the surviving sister is still "creative", having republished her book and written a short story. I didn't get a chance to ask whether she's made any real psychological progress. The movie depicts her looking happy while taking ballet lessons. There are certainly interesting themes like the bond between the sisters and how one mysteriously died out of a wish to free her twin sister - again, I only became aware of that during the talk. The film itself is diluted by pop songs and such. The story calls for a director like Haneke.

I am an identical twin. Understanding them was easy. I felt that bond as a child. The language they created, the words they conveyed to one another without speaking, the worlds they lived in, and the metaphorical dance they endlessly performed was something my twin and I had. The difference was that we grew out of that special closeness, the bubble that we inhabited eventually popped. The film takes us on a similar journey, flawlessly, as if the twins produced it themselves. The direction, script, acting, costumes, art direction, score, and cinematography all masterfully come together to recreate their perfectly delicate and complicated twin-dom. This is a brilliant film, a delicious character study that will touch you deeply... if you let it.

I found every moment of this film captivating. As an identical twin whose twin died at birth, I am uniquely qualified to evaluate twin behavior. You see, I move through the world differently. Othered. Half of me absent. Severed. So when I observe their rich, dynamic inner world in their bedroom, I see a gorgeous imaginative life, sequestered, but rich and unspoiled by the gross ministrations of outside cultural influence. The filmmaker captures the intimacy between identical twins that can only be articulated through art, dance, play, or music. "You will never find joy if you want to be alone." They are so wonderfully weird...when viewed through societal norms. But their silence isn't loss. Nor is it sad. This film is neither reckless nor subversive of their challenges. Rather it articulates almost flawlessly their playful, desperately painful yearning for authenticity in the world that most people shy away from. I haven't seen a film this engrossing in over a decade. As a writer, I don't merely understand them. I am them. And I applaud and grieve their choice to shun their loved ones while simultaneously wishing I had the courage to live such a deeply rich inner life, isolated and unspoiled. The soundtrack weaves beautifully in tandem with their creative evolution. A lovely and endearing surprise. Ignore the critics. Settle in with a glass of wine. Don't tell anyone you're watching it. Keep it secret. Keep it close.

I could not bring myself to watch. I've seen documentaries on these young ladies and their story is remarkable and captivating. However, I have concerns as to why the director or casting crew could not find identical twins to play the role. From their childhood to young adulthood the twins are not portrayed by twins at all. This for many is a useless oversight but for me it's offensive. Cleary these actresses may have similar skin tones, hair color, eye color and maybe closely matched on weight and height. But they do NOT look alike. Surely, they could have found African American twins from just about all age groups to play this part. Yes, I'm referring to trained actresses. At least five come to mind. I refuse to try and trick my brain into thinking these people are identical throughout the whole movie. I'm way too tired for that.

I own/read the book The Silent Twins and is far better for true insight on this incredible story. Read it first, then read the articles, then read their works, then watch this for entertainment. That's really all this movie is. As one review said, it would have better as a documentary, or perhaps in addition to a documentary? Before you critique this film, please read the book. If you go into this film, you may find it as just some twins taking a pact too far and passive parents allowing it, but the true story is far deeper than all that. Also, the death of Jennifer is so mysterious and poetic it really is something to wonder whether a person can deliberately choose to die of an inflamed heart without drugs or alcohol to sacrifice herself for the freedom from this bond.

I knew nothing about June and Jennifer Gibbons before watching this. Apparently there have been other tellings of their story on the screen and stage, but it still feels like a fresh story. Beautifully shot and acted. There's something relatable to their story. I definitely would see how long I could go without speaking as a kid, not that I ever made it more than a day or two. You see the young kids deal with being outsiders, bullying, and how happy they seem when they were isolated and using their imagination. I found it incredibly sad, wishing I could befriend them, hoping they succeed in their creative endeavors. It's not the most direct, action filled storyline but I found myself invested throughout. I really enjoyed the cinematography, at times diving into their imaginations. Overall, it's something I would definitely watch again. It felt different than most things I've seen recently.