Film reviews

The Silent Twins Review

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The Silent Twins is a true story. One where its realism is expanded with lighting and colorful cinematography through many increments of the film. The technical aspects tie into the true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons. The story is heavy. Heavy enough where I found it challenging to experience the moments of sadness or frustration between both the twins. The film may lead others to have all kinds of emotions due to the seriousness of the issues in which are true in the film’s writing. The Silent Twins gets deep and dark with drastic scenarios, but it only inspires its audience to keep the ones we love close.

The true concept of the twins choosing to be silent shows growth in the twin’s life. It also shows deceit and challenges between the two. One develops better academic skills while the other lacks, and one is more of a risk-taker than the other. The Silent Twins is a film that shows how siblings have clashing relationships. Not just with falling apart and not getting along, but also realizing the differences between each other. As an individual who has a sibling, The Silent Twins hit close to home for me. That is because of how the twins have their moments that go awry. When that does happen, they still want to feel connected. I have had my moments in my life where I have had that, and I still wanted to feel connected. The Silent Twins is a landscape spanning many years of a deep relationship between two sisters, and how they always wanted to stick together.

In elaborating on the plot, this is the setup of the film. Letitia Wright plays June and Tamara Lawrence plays Jennifer. They are two twins with a very close bond. The secret to their troubled lives though is because of how they remain quiet. They never talk with anyone in the real world except for each other. Throughout their years together, they have shared love for the arts, and always have correlated the fragments of their creative minds. Despite their touching and empathetic bond towards each other, they become known as “the silent twins.” Their silence though has caused disconnect with their families and their resources. It has also caused them to fall into moments of criminal activity and legal issues. As their lives spiral to be a disaster, they remain silent and only communicate with each other. Their criminal choices though, result in having to stay at Broadmoor. That is a psychiatric hospital. After a wildlife of growing up in Whales, and a unique pattern of behaviors, the Gibbons only remain close to each other, no matter the negative circumstances.

The psychiatric hospital moments left me with mixed feelings. I asked myself questions. Is June or Jennifer better than one another? Has one made more mistakes than the other? Do their lives have to suffer when they have so much to live for? The Silent Twins correlates past and present in many hard scenarios. They may be hard to see, however, I will say the empathy grows strong throughout the many trial and error situations for Jennifer and June.

The Silent Twins is visually moving. Its storyline is in-depth with its authenticity. I will say this one of the most empathetic and visually moving films I have seen in a long time. There is light in many corners in The Silent Twins. Viewers will hope that there is lighter than that they experience with the film. Three and a half stars.

Film reviews

Pearl Review

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Earlier this year, director Ti West took his audience on a crazy and dazzling journey with the film X. Now seven months later, he takes his audience to the world of Pearl, a prequel to X set on the farm from X, but in the early 1900s, in the olden days of filmmaking.

In the film, Mia Goth plays Pearl, a girl with many feelings of loneliness and desire, who is living with her harsh mother Ruth, played by Tandi Wright, and her disabled father, played by Matthew Sunderland. Pearl lives a depressing life of solitude and rules, with little love, and she becomes desperate to find fame. Her search for it, though, is one that is rather harrowing—and deadly. She meets a film projectionist, played by David Corenswet, who shows her classy olden films. She meets others in the film industry, including Misty and Howard, played by Emma Jenkins-Purro and Alistair Sewell. Pearl’s desire to find fame causes her to become vindictive—enough to want to kill.

There are many similarities between Pearl and X, but Pearl contains less violence than X. The violence in Pearl is still graphic, but tempered by Goth’s performance. Like X, Pearl involves the concept of sex and filmmaking, which seems to be a big theme with West’s directing. In X, it was all about porn actors and directors trying to make a movie on a farm. After all the fun of their sexual escapades and filming of adult films, they begin to be terrorized by the landlords of the farm. Pearl is, again, about a girl living on that same farm, but decades earlier.

The theme of sex and movies being frowned upon in the olden days of filmmaking was interesting. Instead of Pearl being shy about it, though, she wants to be the one involved in sexual activities in films, despite it being an era where having sex in movies was not common. For Pearl, it’s not only about being a star, she also wants her desires to be met. And if Pearl can’t get sex, she is ready for others to pay the price. Though not quite as violent as X, Pearl is easily the most eccentric, and the most crazy and erotic, directing I have seen from West.

Despite its eccentricity and disturbing theme Pearl does give an interesting look back at the classic days of filmmaking. I very much enjoyed that aspect of the film. There are some repeated aspects and events from X, but this is a prequel so some of that is to be expected. The horror in Pearl being calmer than in X was a plus. Overall, I would call Pearl a crazy ride of terror and killings, with some laughs thrown in. I am giving the flick three and a half stars.

Film reviews

The Woman King Review

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Viola Davis is fierce and spectacular in a historical and epic tail in The Woman King. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and written by Maria Bello, and Dana Stevens. Both writers have a strong screenplay to create Davis’s character to be ferocious and brave and have strong dignity and leadership. The Woman King is one where Davis’s performance is also Oscar-Worthy. She has the heroic voice, the heroic backstory, and inspires young warriors for growth to accomplishments towards defeating their enemies. I love The Woman King because of its continuity of trial and error, and when the errors come around, Davis is the one who inspires her warriors to not let their guard down.

This historical tail being based on actual events contains many historical aspects. They include slavery, authority, and different classes among women warriors. With the 1800s setting, there is a great deal of historical weaponry, and historical training. The Woman King knows its direction to take being a true tail from the 1800s. It knows how to find its importance and its authenticity. I felt the events going forward was real, as was the fact that the women in the film are destined to be warriors.

Davis plays General Nanisca. The one who oversees the all-female warriors that are called the Agojie. Their purpose is to protect the African Kingdom of Dahomey. The King is King Ghezo and he is played by John Boyega. He questions what Nanisca’s purpose is with the lady warriors she recruits. With the many young lady warriors ranging from Amenza (played by Sheila Atim), Esi (played by Shaina West), and many others, Nanisca makes it her goal and her job to strengthen their mindsets and their combat skills to prove to their king they can be warriors. The Woman King is audacious of many achievements among the story and the performances, and it is truly a beautiful film. The scenery around South Africa is beautiful too. With many historical aspects and clear imagery, The Woman King is a treat for many.

I am someone that is fond of films that does what it can to have its history and century have realism and symbolism. The Woman King has realism in which it is a true story, and it has symbolism towards women. The symbolism is to make them bound to be warriors. Going forward, the hope and aspirations are in this ride of adventure, love, and above all leadership. As I said before, Davis is the leader of the Agojie, and a king both in the film and as an actress.

The storyline is paces itself. It lays out the foundations of the purpose of the film’s setting, Davis’s performance, and the values of the many means of women being fierce. I love The Woman King, and I love Davis, and I love The Woman King. I hope it receives Oscar buzz. Four stars for The Woman King.

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