Twin Falls Idaho
Directed by Michael Polish.
Blake and Francis Falls are twins. What makes them different from most other twins is the fact that they are conjoined (Siamese). They have one arm each, share one middle leg and are joined all along their torso. Blake explains to Penny (Michele Hicks), the woman he is falling in love with, how he cherishes the two minutes of the day when he feels alone; the minute he wakes up and the minute before sleep. It is moving and feels true. The vary talented young Polish brothers (themselves identical twins) have not only, between them, written and directed but they also act the parts of the conjoined Blake and Francis.
Twin Falls Idaho starts off promisingly in a seedy neighbourhood in an unnamed city, where the brothers have taken refuge in a hotel room. Only one day of the year can they walk the streets without being stared at, on Halloween. Although their situation seems too sad for words, Blake and Francis have a way of coping through black humour and love for each other. It is this brotherly love for Francis, who is always there next to Blake when he wakes up, that is explored and contrasted with the love he feels for Penny.
Unfortunately, the film abandons the fascinating idea of sexual love far too easily. To have been inspired by a pair of Siamese twins who both married and had 22 children between them, Twin Falls Idaho seems tame. Yet the film has merits, especially Mark and Michael Polish’s acting and the eerie feeling created in the beginning of the film, which brings to mind the Cohen brothers’ Barton Fink.
Mark explains the film’s title this way: “Blake and Francis are twins, their surname is Falls, and when we first see them, they’re living in a hotel on Idaho Avenue”. The audience is expected to pick up the pieces along the way. I only wish there had been a few more to pick up.
Sol
