The Silent Twins: Film Review
Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance won the first-ever Best Joint Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday for their work in The Silent Twins and rightly so – they are terrific together.
This drama, directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska, tells the true story of twins June and Jennifer Gibbons (Wright and Lawrance, respectively) who only spoke to each for many years. As part of the only Black family in a small Welsh town in the ’70s and ’80s, the girls were bullied at school and became so introverted that they refused to speak with anyone else – including their parents.
The film is based on the book of the same name by Marjorie Wallace, a journalist who met the twins during the 11 years they were in Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. The book also contains stories and diary entries written by June and Jennifer to help give us some insight into their creative minds. These written works directly inform Angela Seigel‘s script and are sometimes brought to life in bright fantasy sequences or odd stop-motion animated scenes.
These imagined scenes directly contrast with the bleak, grey ones depicting their reality. They had an incredibly difficult life and did not deserve to be punished in the way they were. It’s quite a sad, upsetting movie at times. I also felt quite infuriated by their decision, knowing that they’d have an easier life if they just spoke. But they had their reasons and you have to respect that. I didn’t come away from the film truly understanding why they did it but the Gibbons’ are mysterious and unknowable by their very nature.
Despite this, Wright and Lawrance do a fantastic job bringing them to life. Their chemistry is so convincing – you truly believe they are sisters. They might be silent on the outside but they are so chatty with each other. When it gets to the bleak Broadmoor section, their performances really step up a notch. Between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Aisha and The Silent Twins, Wright is doing stunning work. One criticism: June and Jennifer speak quickly with a speech impediment so I found them difficult to understand at times.
The Silent Twins tells a moving, occasionally depressing story about an unusual set of twins. Make sure you’re in the right headspace before you check it out.
In cinemas from Friday 9th December