The Silent Twins
classified 18Please note: This was screened in Dec 2022
Based on the best-selling book by Marjorie Wallace, this powerful film explores the lives of real-life identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who refused to communicate with anyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world.
In the 1970s, in the Welsh town of Haverfordwest, twins June (Letitia Wright) and Jennifer Gibbons (Tamara Lawrence) are severely bullied and ostracised as the only Black family in their neighbourhood. At home the pair had always been withdrawn, but their behaviours become more and more extreme and isolating: walking in sync and not communicating with the outside world. Following an accident, the two are accused of vandalism and confined to a psychiatric hospital, where they face an unbearable choice…
Focusing on their moments of togetherness, this surreal film treats us to neon galore, musical-style interludes, and even puppet animation inspired by the sisters’ diaries and poems, a hard-hitting feast for the senses.