As part of an effort to check out some of David Cronenberg's earlier work, I watched "Dead Ringers" last night.
David Cronenberg has enjoyed a lot of popular success lately, probably because his recent films have strayed away from the weird explorations of the human body and sexuality (which tend to turn people off). But I think it's worth checking out his earlier films because they are just as strong as his recent ones; even those from over twenty years ago like Dead Ringers haven't dated.
If you haven't seen it, the movie is about a set of identical twin brothers. They are brilliant students and grow up to be gynecologists who joinly run a fertility clinic in downtown Toronto. The film is basically an exploration of their co-dependent relationship with each other, and with a woman (a drug-addicted actress) who enters the picture and falls in love with one of them, but not the other.
The movie aired on Scream, and that and the title led me to believe that it would be a horror movie. It's not. The book this film is based on was originally titled "Twins", and I wish it had kept that title. Perhaps the studio knew that the Arnold Swartzenegger / Danny Devito movie with that name was coming out a few months later, but I think what is more likely is that Cronenberg was still ghettoized as a horror director and the studio wanted to play up to fans of the genre. The fact that the film is hard to classify (like much of Cronenberg's work) doesn't make it easier. I would call it a drama, with a few creepy thriller elements. But it has no sci-fi or supernatural elements at all.
What else can I say about it? The writing is phenomenal. All of the elements of the movie play into the theme, which is how the two brothers are so dependent upon each other that they cannot create separate, individual relationships with others, especially women. The ways in which this theme is explored are too numerous to list, but here's an example:
Beverly, the submissive twin, falls in love with the actress. But he's too scared to go on a date with her. So Elliot, the dominant twin, goes instead and pretends to be Bev. Eventually, Bev decides he doesn't want Elly to do this anymore, and Elly says "Don't be silly Bev. You haven't experienced anything until I've experienced it too." Later, when the actress finds out that there are two of them, Elly is confused and alarmed to discover that she is in love with Bev, but not him. He can't understand what the difference is: "You really only love him and not me?"
Yes, they both go by female names. Not a coincidence.
Eventually, the rift that has come between them descends into drug-abuse and insanity. This is where the creepy aspect of the film takes place, as Bev creates some truly terrifying gynecological "instruments" that look more like torture devices. He is convinced that women are mutants, and require special instruments to be cured - again, his schizophrenia is an extension of his separation from his brother. It is these creepy parts which almost push the film into horror territory. The whole film has a cold, fascinating and vague sense of dread, but in these scenes you want to cringe.
I could go on.
But the last thing I want to mention is Jeremy Irons' performance. He plays both twins, and he is phenomenal. Honestly. It's the best performance I've ever seen from him, and I'm including Reversal of Fortune and Lolita. He is totally believable as two separate people, and manages to create a complex relationship between them. It's astonishing, really.
Definitely worth seeing. |
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MAY 1, 2008 02:23 PM