The Silent Twins tells the tragic, yet true story of twin sisters June (Letitia Wright, The Black Panther) and Jennifer (Tamara Lawrance, Invasion) Gibbons. Caribbean immigrants, June and Jennifer spend most of their adolescence misunderstood and bullied by their school-aged peers and feeling alienated in their new predominantly white neighborhood in Wales. When the mistreatment becomes too much the twins make a pact at a young age that they will only speak, play, and communicate with each other until their deaths. Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska, the film uses stop motion animation to lead viewers into the mind and sacred world of the twins to better understand their life, dreams, aspirations, and ultimately, the unraveling of their minds while patients at Broadmoor mental institution.
The beauty in this film can be found in every facet as we watch Smoczynska challenge our perceptions of play, allowing the twins to move in and out of reality as they disassociate through sock puppet sketch shows and the novelty of love. Leticia Wright and Tamara Lawrance further draw viewers in with their childlike wonder of what is, and what could be, which allows us to fall in love with the twins and accept both the good and bad of mental health. The film also seeks to humanize that which is seen as inhumane in 1974 Wales; Black women. In the end—through Wright and Lawrance—our hearts are filled with triumph and an exploration of self and acceptance as we learn how in a world filled with hate, these two sisters create a bond so strong that no system or structure could tear them apart when they decided they would ultimately live on their own terms.
**If you’re unfamiliar with their story, there are spoilers beyond this point.**
Prolific writers, June and Jennifer spend all their time locked away in their room creating worlds that translate beautifully onto blank pages. June pays to have her first novel published and the pair move on to something bigger; love. Infatuated with local bad boy Wayne the pair begin sneaking into his house to watch television, eat food, and write love notes on cigarettes they find he’s left behind on the dresser. The twins are eventually outed by Wayne’s father, and to their surprise, Wayne reciprocates their curiosity by introducing them to drugs and alcohol, which allows them to shake their inhibitions and speak. The sisters, madly in love with Wayne, allow him to take their virginities on separate nights. When their affair with Wayne ends, it sends the sisters on a downward spiral that includes more drugs, theft, and arson.
The sisters’ short crime spree lands them in Broadmoor mental institution where they decide they can no longer live as a unit if either one of them truly wants to thrive. Where separation previously threatened to kill them both together and simultaneously though miles apart, this time, the sisters agree their togetherness is what is ultimately going to kill them both. With this realization, Jennifer commits herself to death, so June can live.
The Silent Twins is a must-see for anyone finding themselves in search of another true crime story as the year comes to an end. Smoczynska’s exploration of the lives of the sisters uses the two mediums as a way of inviting play and wonder and humanity to the lives of two young Black girls, who otherwise may have been made out to be nothing more than mere monsters.
The Silent Twins is now streaming on Peacock.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
No Comment! Be the first one.