Twin Falls Idaho
Director: | Michael Polish |
Writers: | Mark and Michael Polish |
Sony Pictures Classics; 110 minutes; R | |
Release: | 7/99 |
Cast: | Mark Polish, Michael Polish, Michele Hicks |
Twin Falls Idaho pairs together real-life twins Michael and Mark Polish in an eerie existential tale of romance, independence, and self-identity. Playing Siamese twins Blake and Jerry, they begin an unusual relationship with a hooker in a deadend hotel. Her underlying sense of guilt drives her to accept the advances of Blake, the dominant half of the twins. Jerry, reluctant partner in a necessary menage-e-trois, reacts badly.
Stark, stirring cinematography drenches Twin Falls in a powerful mood. The Polish brothers are able-bodied actors who use their strengths — an entrancing duet with shared gestures, expressions, and phrases — to offset the limiting script. A lesser film would have used the conjoined twins for gimmicky effect, but Twin Falls manages a serious treatment.