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 Every twin, no matter how close or estranged from their sibling, probably experiences the need for a little solitude, some time away from their twin.
But how do you satisfy this need for privacy when you're both emotionally and physically attached to a conjoined twin? That's the premise of a new film, Twin Falls Idaho, from real-life (but not conjoined) twin brothers Michael and Mark Polish now playing in selected cities across the United States. The Polish brothers star as the fictional conjoined twins, Blake and Francis Falls, in this Sony Pictures Classics Release that originally debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this past winter. Mark Polish wrote the film and stars as Blake, the twin whose heart is stronger than the weaker vital organ of his brother Francis, played by the film's director and co-writer Michael Polish.  Michele Hicks with Mark and Michael Polish The unusual film depicts what happens to the brothers when a woman, played by model Michele Hicks, figuratively and literally comes between them. Also starring Academy Award-nominted actress Lesley Ann Warren ('Victor, Victoria'), and television veterans Patrick Bauchau ('The Pretender'), Garrett Morris ('Saturday Night Live', 'The Jamie Foxx Show') and William Katt ('Greatest American Hero'), Twin Falls Idaho effectively carries out the theme of dual love stories-- between twin brothers as well as a man and a woman. The tender love story excels when it shows Blake and Francis just being normal twins, particularly in an early scene where they devour a shared birthday cake together (something all twins can probably relate to) while simultaneously stealing glances at this new woman, Penny, who has entered into their lives. And twins will enjoy the obvious natural understanding of the day-to-day questions we all endure in the Polish Brothers debut film. One humorous scene centers around Blake and Francis attempting to answer a drunken party-goers questioning of 'which one of you is older?' Only in Twin Falls Idaho, the twins have to deal with some questions that unconjoined twins we hope never have to answer (the number of body parts they jointly possess, for example). Perhaps the film could have been given a better pacing (it drags a bit at times) and certain characters, in particular the twins estranged mother played by Warren, seem to detract from the overall flow of the story.  The subject of conjoined twins is obviously a difficult one to present both realistically and fairly on the big screen, and the Polish Twins have developed a vehicle for this delicate subject with equal doses of realism and artistic license as well as with emotion and humor ("maybe I'll call you when I'm single," Blake jokes to Penny at one point during the movie). The Falls Twins in the film would probably be classified as thoracoagus conjoined twins (sharing part of the same chest wall) however the fictional movie brothers also have a third fully-formed leg, a partial fourth leg and just two arms, an aspect of heteropagus (unequal and symmetrically formed) conjoined twins. Regardless, it offers the most in-depth profile of conjoined twins in cinema since the 1951 cult film, 'Chained For Life'. Individually, Mark and Michael Polish showcase their artistic talents in the film. Mark demonstrates a greater acting range than his brother while Michael's directorial skills shine in a memorable and visually stunning dream sequence in the film where the separated twin brothers ride bicycles on a cliff. And since the two share writing skills for the movie, we'll pass along equal credit for the dialogue which captures the feelings that these twins share for each other. "The power of two is the bond," the benevolent doctor 'Miles' played by Bauchau explains to Penny just before the film comes to its end. As twins, we couldn't have said it better ourselves. |