The Silent Twins: A Beautifully Shot Broad-Stroke Biopic
Based on the best-selling book of the same name, The Silent Twins is the astounding true story of twin sisters, June and Jennifer Gibbons (played by Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance), who only communicated with one another. As a result, they created a rich, fascinating world to escape the reality of their own lives.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska has a strong eye, bold style, and confident command, all of which are on display in her latest feature, The Silent Twins. However, with three films now under her belt, she’s starting to feel like somewhat of a broken record. Obsessively focused on the alienated female experience, she continues to rotely hammer on the same themes as her incredibly dazzling debut, The Lure, with little nuance or forward progression. Just like The Lure, The Silent Twins is a tale of two sisters, June and Jennifer Gibbons, who experience their first crush, first cigarette, first drink, and first disappointment. Their bond is intense and strange, and their story is marked for tragedy. The Gibbons are not mermaids but real-life figures, but Smoczyńska imbues their story with the same fantastical leaning and otherworldly vibrancy as she did her musical mermaid fairy tale.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with The Silent Twins, the novelty feels a bit worn out and the layers fewer and less rich. The Gibbons’ story is ripe for the big screen, and Smoczyńska fills her film with the pomp, pizazz, and performances that are required to bring it to life. She showcases the rich interior life and immense creativity of the film’s dual protagonists through whimsical visuals and stop-motion animation sequences, but she doesn’t really examine the reason behind the silence — which was voluntary — with too much depth, and this gives the film a heavy wobble. It ultimately keeps the viewer at a distance, preventing a full-on connection to the character’s and their journey, and as a result, the potential emotional resonance of the Gibbons’ highs and lows is sorely blunted.
The Silent Twins could almost be reduced to a magnificently shot, uber-creative, and well performed Wikipedia article in how it hops from one plot marker to the next. Without really understanding why the twins refuse to speak, it makes part of their struggle difficult to digest. To an extent, some of their problems (most of which are self-inflicted) could be resolved by simply opening their mouth, and it’s mildly frustrating when they don’t because the “why” isn’t made very clear. Since the film doesn’t probe too deeply into why their characters are the way they are or act the way they do, the story and its unfolding is almost exclusively surface level. You just kind of float along with it, not necessarily bothered by where it takes you but quietly hoping for more — and that never really comes.
Aside from its stunning visuals and vibrant bursts of creativity, what keeps you hanging on is the film’s committed lead performances from Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. They really do a great job enlivening the sisters and imbuing them with a dimension, but their hard work and physical transformation don’t quite hit as hard because the film can’t seem to forge a strong enough connection. The complexities of their sisterly bond, which was unique and paradoxical, and their intense rivalry certainly add an element of intrigue, especially how their love undulates between extremes of not being able to live without one another to wanting to kill each other. Combined with the film’s lush aesthetic, this will have viewers leaning in at times, but once the shallow bottom is reached, it, too, isn’t altogether compelling enough to keep you in its trance.
The Silent Twins isn’t an altogether joyless experience, but its vibrancy is muted by its lack of emotional connection. Smoczyńska paints the story in extravagant and inspired broad stokes, but she largely glosses over the finer details that would make the work resonate in a more lasting manner. The technical craft and performative artistry can certainly be commended, but the narrative feels a little trifling. With no definitive statements made on class, racism, or mental illness, it’s just a bit hard to tell what we’re supposed to take away. The film shines a spotlight on two very creative, lesser known outsider artists (whose work we’re very interested in seeking out as a result of the film) and creates space for the performers and its director to flex their skills, but that’s unfortunately about all it offers.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a strange story, some visual eye candy, and committed performances, give The Silent Twins a watch. The film will hit theaters on September 16th.
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