Based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons, real-life identical twins who grew up in Wales and became known as “the silent twins” because of their refusal to communicate with anyone other than each other.
Chuck says:
There’s an intriguing story at the center of director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s The Silent Twins, a biopic of cult authors, mute twins June and Jennifer Gibbons. However, some questionable choices from the filmmaker produce a muddled movie rather than the gripping drama she was striving to produce. Born in 1963, the sisters adopted self-mutism and refused to talk to anyone but themselves, these conversations occurring only when they were alone. Together they would express themselves through radio dramas they would perform and record and later through writing, their stories often focusing on characters exhibiting anti-social behaviors.
As they reached their teen years while living in Wales, they committed a number of petty crimes that culminated in arson. They were then committed to England’s Broadmoor Mental Hospital where they spent 11 years. What proves so maddening about the film is that it lacks context. Smoczynska drops the viewer into the middle of the story with little explanation regarding the sisters’ circumstances which leads to confusion. Also, the lack of time spent delving into their parents’ lives leaves far too many questions unanswered. In presenting the world from the Gibbons’ perspective, the director alienates the viewer rather than drawing them into their unique world and perspective.
2 Stars
