Customer Reviews

Twin Falls Idaho [VHS]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

`Twin Falls Idaho' proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that love stories do indeed come in every shape, size and form. This low budget, independent film actually tells two love stories: one between two brothers conjoined together from birth and the other between them and a golden-hearted prostitute who befriends them.

This movie is an obvious labor of love on the part of the filmmakers. Writer/director Michael Polish and his real life identical twin brother, Mark, who co-wrote the screenplay, also star as Francis and Blake Falls, a pair of Siamese twins who, on their birthday, order up a hooker played by newcomer Michelle Hicks. Though initially frightened away by the `freakishness' of the situation, the young lady, Penny, finds herself growing attached to these two painfully quiet and withdrawn young men who seem to have a strange symbiotic relationship she is unable to comprehend but which, in some strange way, speaks to a yearning for companionship lodged deep within her own troubled soul. The film becomes a moving study of three social outcasts groping towards each other for support and affirmation.

In many ways, the most striking aspect of the film is the quiet, hushed tone it uses to unfold a drama that could, by its very nature, easily succumb to cheap sensationalism and exploitation. Blake and Francis, so long conditioned by a lifetime of societal rejection to draw into themselves and stay conveniently out of sight, have created a private universe where they barely ever speak above a whisper. Penny, herself lost in a cold, uncaring world, seems instinctively drawn to the innate goodness and politeness of the two men and she quickly learns to look beyond the physical difference that has served as a barrier between them and so many others. The film also does not go for the obvious choices one might expect in a work about misunderstood social outcasts; it, wisely, refrains from ladling on emotionally manipulative scenes in which people stare rudely at the pair or in which opportunistic exploiters work their wiles on the boys. Although the film does touch on both those issues in a minor way, the primary focus always remains the relationship that is developing among the three main characters. There is a haunting sequence in which Blake, the healthier and more physically robust of the two, in a fit of pent-up frustration, actually attempts to pull away from Francis - emotionally if not quite physically. But Blake realizes that he and his brother are fated to go through eternity together one way or the other and that he really would not want it any other way. Indeed, this is as much a love story about two brothers as it is about two men and a woman.

As the Siamese twins, the Polish brothers achieve a remarkable triumph on the level of sheer physicality, somehow convincing us, by their movements and mannerisms, that they really are two people sharing the same body. More impressively, they bring a beautifully understated pathos to their interactions both with each other and the people with whom they come in contact. Ditto for Michelle Hicks who effectively conveys the compassionate understanding that brings a rare ray of light to the otherwise dark world in which the boys live out their secret life.

One could argue that `Twin Falls Idaho' hedges its bets by portraying a pair of Siamese twins with which no audience would have any trouble falling in love. And, perhaps, there is something to be said for that criticism. A more courageous film might have shown us a slightly more combative, angered or embittered pair, one which struck out at an unreasoningly prejudiced and cruel world in ways that might make them less palatable to us and therefore much harder to like. Perhaps. Yet, as the first film that I can ever remember even having the nerve to tackle such a risky subject, `Twin Falls Idaho,' in its call for tolerance and understanding, deserves all the kudos it has rightfully received.

"Twin Falls Idaho" is a dream-haunter of a film! Lovingly and meticulously directed by Michael Polish and written with quiet brilliance by Mark Polish (with help from twin brother Michael), this gentle, soft-spoken film is one of the three best films of 1999. The imagery in the film is sometimes warm and dreamlike, but more often gritty and stark, pointing out subtext to the audience without utilizing masks or shadows. It's a wonderful story about the nature of relationships: about love and marriage and "divorce"; and about the lives of those unfortunates society labels as "different", and the realization that they are not so different as society may have initially supposed. The acting is superb; the Polish brothers are completely believable as the conjoined twins Blake and Francis Falls, performing feats like deftly buttoning up each other's shirts or playing the guitar together (Blake strums while Francis manages the fret for chord changes) as if they had, indeed, done it all their lives. As the film rolled on, I found myself loving these two guys as unique and colorful individuals, and empathizing with their unique plight. And the often-utilized "Hooker with a Heart" character Penny is given new light and life by Mark Polish's careful crafting of the character and by Michelle Hicks edgy yet warm performance. If you're like me, "Twin Falls Idaho" will leave you awake nights, thinking long and long. I look forward to seeing what the Polish brothers will do next, either collaboratively or on their own.

Since watching this movie almost a week ago, I can think of little else. I am spellbound by it. I watched it a second time the next day. If you are considering watching or purchasing this DVD, here's what you need to know:

The movie is beautifully artisitic, without being inaccesible. The acting is superb, the dialogue enchanting, and the humor in this serious movie is gentle.

The pace is slow, dreamlike, exploratory. There is no big to-do to cheapen the end. Instead there is a feeling of "this is just a piece of life, it began before you started watching, and it will keep going after you get off your couch" Its like watching someone very intriguing in the airport, overhearing a whispered argument or a whispered profession of love, and having your flight called before you can hear how it ends.

If you like action and tidy endings, this is not your film. But if you like dreamy glimpses at the way others might live, this movie will keep you awake for a week thinking of nothing else.

From the restrained colors, music, pacing, acting - every element of this movie was perfectly thought out and perfectly connected.

Including the Polish Brothers in their role as conjoined twins. They allow a peek inside what it is like to be a twin in the first place - but taking it to the most extreme example of two twin brothers that love and hate one another. And live with the knowlege that the weaker of the two has very little time left to live.

And they delicately touch on all the little things that two attached people face daily - from their sleeping routines, to time in the bathroom, being a spectacle in public, their tender love for one another, and the one twin falling in love.

I picked up the movie on a whim, thinking it would be comedic freakshow material. It turned out to be so much better than my expectations.

I would not exactly call myself a softy, but this movie touched just about every emotion possible.

I consider myself a typical guy, and therefore stopped while channel surfing late one night to check out 'Penny'. After a few minutes I brought on the info. on the movie and thought I would check out a little more since the description indicated that the 'hooker' was going to seduce the twins. Ok, what the hell, I'll hang around a bit just to see some skin... Penny is pretty hot.

But within ten minutes I was captured by both the performance of the characters and the writing. Absolutely not the 'run of the mill' kinda of movie. This was so much more than the 'sleaze' I was expecting. This movie is so thought provoking and emotional that I literally had tears in my eyes by the end of the movie. Boy, am I'm glad my girlfriend was not around. Then again, maybe that would have been a GOOD thing.

Anyway, after the movie ended I felt ashamed about what I was expecting, that is after I blew my nose. This was way more of an intimate EXPERIENCE. It'll stick with you for a while.

A prostitute is called to a room of a seedy residentialhotel. When she sees that the trick is plural in the form of a pair of conjoined Siamese twins she rather gracefully exists at her first opportunity. However, she comes back, she is drawn back, she has to come back. Thus the stage is set for a beautiful platonic menage-a-trois as side dish to the ongoing menage-a-deux the twins have played since before birth. One of the delights of the film is Halloween, the one day in the year when the twins can openly be comfortable with society as they "pass" as simply having a great costume. They go out to eat that night and encounter the prostitute quite by chance. The three go off to a Halloween party where they dance and socialize. The relationship between the three and between the twins continues to be explored. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that the premise focuses on endings and endings must be dealt with. The movie is sad but not depressing. It is uplifting even, but never tries to tap any cheap emotion that lesser movies covering the subject would.

My wife wanted to see this movie. I didn't. I was afraid of it. I shouldn't have been. It is played straight. It is played with taste. It is not visually graphic. It IS emotionally graphic, as the situations cause us to think and it connects with the inner freak in all of us. The acting is superb as are all technical aspects of the movie. If you see yourself as a student of human behavior/emotion you will have a forever blank space in your education if you fail to see this movie.

My last dreaming moment before I opened my eyes this morning was with Blake & Francis Falls. Apparently, "Twin Falls, Idaho" went deep into my subconscious.

I waited until last night to watch this movie for the 1st time. It was so worth the wait!

There was not a moment that I could take my eyes off Blake & Francis. Physically, they are as fascinating as one can imagine. And because I could not stop studying their features, (how much they looked alike, what made them different from each other) I could not help but grow to love them.

Attached from birth, these two share a symbiotic relationship that explores the depths of emotional & physical inter-dependence.

Penny, the call girl, thrown off by the boys' appearance initially, is drawn to them immediately. Curiosity is soon replaced with a deeper yearning for connection when she attempts to befriend the twins. Shy but composed, Blake & Francis open themselves in front of us. I was utterly in awe of the relationship Mark & Michael Polish revealed.

I'm touched by the sensuality of this film. It reminded me that Blake & Francis are not just conjoined twins, but young men living in their body/bodies.

It is visually spectacular, in a muted, understated & abstract way. The landscape suits the characters perfectly. I felt as though I were in a series of Cézanne paintings.

I'm left feeling uplifted from this film. Though sad, there is in it a beautiful optimism. Its pace is deliberate and solid, it moves slowly, but with purpose. This is a story that reaches deep inside us.

"Twin Falls Idaho" opens with a hooker, Penny, being handed a two-dollar bill from a handicapped cab driver; he has a hook in place of his hand and Penny's shallow friend, Francine, is so appalled by his abnormality that she allows Penny to keep her change just so she doesn't have to take the money from his clamp. Penny, on the other hand, takes the bill, studies it for a moment in awe, then exits the cab (this foreshadows many things to come).

She enters a hotel that, despite its look, is in some way comforting, and is the hideaway of the Falls Brothers; Two good-looking, often soft spoken conjoined twins, who have come to die together, so were told later in the film. Blake is the healthy one of the two, while Francis is ill and suffers from a weak heart.

Upon seeing Blake and Francis, Penny is frightened and leaves. Forgetting her purse, she must come back for it and thus starts the relationship of the three. It's a love story, but not in the way that you'd think. It's more of a love story between the brothers than it is between the two of them and Penny.

One thing I liked about Penny's character is that she is a little superficial, but knows it, which may in fact be the reason why she has a sort of fascination with the brothers. She finds them in a coffee shop on Halloween night (the one night they can be normal) and takes them to a party. Her friend Francine, from earlier in the cab, thinks she's weird and has a hard time believing she's taken a liking to Blake and Frances. Her photographer friend, of course, wants to take their picture for a magazine when he finds out their actual Siamese twins.

She cares for them and tries to protect them. She is curious about them and even calls a close doctor friend by the name of Miles to examine them when Francis is feeling sick in the beginning of the film. Naturally, her kindness brings into play strong feelings from both Blake and Francis. While Francis may have been the one to call her to their hotel room for his brother on his birthday, it is also their birthday, and one might think he quietly hoped for her affection too.

This is the kind of movie where your watching because your intrigued by the characters. Namely the Brothers, who are so calm and quiet, that there presence creates the tone of the movie, thus drawing Penny and the audience into their story.

We imagine what it would be like to be that close with somebody, and yet knowing their closeness is by nature and not choice, we feel their mutual need to be near Penny, who is their by choice.

And when it is clear that Francis may not live much longer, Penny becomes more than just a curator; she becomes what Blake will need and has needed his whole life -- someone to fill his void; his loneliness. It is a sad story, but also touching, and in its own way, is one of the best overlooked films over the year.

A wildly original story, which might have been made into a very bad movie, is told with heartfelt simplicity. The imagery is beautiful, and many of the scenes from this sad, thoughful film will stay with you. The acting is natural and convincing and you will be involved with a group of very unusual characters. This is a work of genius.

The Polish brothers do excellent work in this gentle story of unique relationships. By following the story of conjoined twins we are able to see the highs of sharing a symbiotic relationship, and the lows of being an outsider in society. For it is often the same things that bring us togther, yet keep us apart. A very enjoyable movie for anyone interested in the study of relationships.