Silent Twins (2022 | USA | 113 minutes | Agnieszka Smocynska)
Twins with such a tight relationship from birth they spoke their own language… that is, when they spoke at all. After making a pact at around age 6, June (Letitia Wright) and Jennifer (Tamara Lawrence) Gibbons remained silent for years. Much later they admitted it was meant as a fun prank in the beginning but after a while, it just became a part of life. They forgot how to socialize with anyone outside of each other so in their silence they created an entire world where the two of them could experience reality on their own terms. Fame and fortune was theirs in this world, easily relating to others and finding love; being happy. It was this wellspring of imagination that spurred the two of them to begin writing. While both had a knack, it was June that became semi-successful early on causing a rift between them that would continue to widen for years.
In their late teens their shared world just wasn’t enough anymore, so they started dabbling in romance, drugs and alcohol. With a weakened mental state already firmly in place, this new lifestyle went off the rails quickly landing them in Broadmore Mental Hospital for eleven grueling years. Not known for it’s high quality care, they endured poor treatment, separation and very little mental and emotional support. While the girls weren’t guiltless, their tenure there was torturous. After more than a decade of attempts to get out, they were finally granted a move to Caswell Clinic, but on the bus ride to their new home Jennifer’s life came to a screeching halt. Heart problems that hadn’t existed until that moment flared. The true cause remains a mystery, but her sister believes she died so that June could live a real life free from the silence and co-dependence their relationship inflicted.
Wright and Lawrence were magnificent as the mysterious twins that no one really knows to this day. June Gibbons lives in solitude still and while a lot of the film is based on first-hand accounts, this kind of relationship is a foreign concept for all except those actually in one. It almost felt like we were eaves dropping in on something that wasn’t our business, but I couldn’t look away. Both women played off each other in both beautiful moments of kinship and twisted moments of pain that you could swear the two actors were actually related. While I found the film painful and difficult at times to watch, it wasn’t for lack of acting, writing or overall quality… it’s just a difficult subject to experience. It belongs with the likes of Sybil and One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
Silent Twins arrived in theaters this last weekend and I highly recommend you experience it. Perhaps settle yourself and prepare for the journey ahead, but well worth your time.
Silent Twins arrived in theaters on 9/16.