I didn't expect much going into this movie. I found it on a list of "gay" films and when I got my copy, I did a little flip through like I always do to make sure that it was good and as a result stumbled upon the solicitation scene. I'm not into incest personally but I have seen a few films where the topic was handled delicately and beautifully so I have an open mind towards the genre if nothing else. This is NOT a gay film, however. Still, I was intrigued by the twins. They're very striking in a non-classical kind of way.
The overall premise of the film is that the boys ran away from their father's home in France to attend the funeral of their mother who lived in Spain and whom they had no relationship with. The film follows them on their journey. As other reviewers have pointed out, what dialogue there is is minimal but I don't think the film suffers as a result. If anything, it builds the tension because something is almost always just around the corner. Usually a fight because we see within the first few minutes that the boys have a very combative relationship, a juxtaposition of the sweet relationship implied in the animated short at the very beginning of the film.
As I watched, I started thinking of them as the "good" twin and the "evil" twin but truly, the good one isn't without his own faults and the evil one isn't that evil. Well...at first, anyway. It becomes obvious early on that the "evil" one, Antoine who bears a scar to make him that much more sinister looking, was the more dominant of the two and Quentin, the "good" one, was used to him handling matters and taking care of him. We see Quentin whining about being hungry and also getting a piggy-back ride from Antoine when he didn't feel like walking. Those scenes cement the nature of their relationship and the differences in their personalities. However, things change whenever someone new comes into the picture and it's interesting that on two occasions, first with the girl from the gas station and later on at the farm, Antoine finds himself on the outside looking in, literally spying on Quentin as he has sex. There's no actual incest in the film and no confirmation of sexual desire on either of their parts but the possessiveness that Antoine exhibits towards Quentin marks him as his own just as plainly as if he were his lover. In fact, his anger and jealousy spur him to do something that ultimately leads to their separation.
I consider this film a study in human behaviour, specifically relationships and how you can love someone and hate them at the same time, knowing that they're poison and no good for you but you still need them all the same. It's "you can't live with them but you can't live without them" at its very core and I appreciate that it's not a stereotypical romantic pairing, though it still comes across that way to an extent.
It's not a perfect film by any means but it's not a terrible way to spend 76 minutes. The scenery is beautiful and the action, when it comes, is gripping. My biggest complaint is that I would've liked more backstory into their estrangement from their mother and I wish they'd shown what happened to Quentin after he ran off. The film is primarily seen through Antoine's POV and once Quentin runs away from his would-be rapist, we don't see him again until the funeral, which left me with some questions that we never got any answers to because the film ended 10 minutes later. How did he make it to the funeral when he left all of his possessions behind?
The twins were brilliant in their portrayals, though. They did an excellent job of establishing the polarities in the twins' personalities. I couldn't have asked for more from them.
Overall I enjoyed it, even wished it was longer if only because I wanted more Quentin and his silent brooding.
The overall premise of the film is that the boys ran away from their father's home in France to attend the funeral of their mother who lived in Spain and whom they had no relationship with. The film follows them on their journey. As other reviewers have pointed out, what dialogue there is is minimal but I don't think the film suffers as a result. If anything, it builds the tension because something is almost always just around the corner. Usually a fight because we see within the first few minutes that the boys have a very combative relationship, a juxtaposition of the sweet relationship implied in the animated short at the very beginning of the film.
As I watched, I started thinking of them as the "good" twin and the "evil" twin but truly, the good one isn't without his own faults and the evil one isn't that evil. Well...at first, anyway. It becomes obvious early on that the "evil" one, Antoine who bears a scar to make him that much more sinister looking, was the more dominant of the two and Quentin, the "good" one, was used to him handling matters and taking care of him. We see Quentin whining about being hungry and also getting a piggy-back ride from Antoine when he didn't feel like walking. Those scenes cement the nature of their relationship and the differences in their personalities. However, things change whenever someone new comes into the picture and it's interesting that on two occasions, first with the girl from the gas station and later on at the farm, Antoine finds himself on the outside looking in, literally spying on Quentin as he has sex. There's no actual incest in the film and no confirmation of sexual desire on either of their parts but the possessiveness that Antoine exhibits towards Quentin marks him as his own just as plainly as if he were his lover. In fact, his anger and jealousy spur him to do something that ultimately leads to their separation.
I consider this film a study in human behaviour, specifically relationships and how you can love someone and hate them at the same time, knowing that they're poison and no good for you but you still need them all the same. It's "you can't live with them but you can't live without them" at its very core and I appreciate that it's not a stereotypical romantic pairing, though it still comes across that way to an extent.
It's not a perfect film by any means but it's not a terrible way to spend 76 minutes. The scenery is beautiful and the action, when it comes, is gripping. My biggest complaint is that I would've liked more backstory into their estrangement from their mother and I wish they'd shown what happened to Quentin after he ran off. The film is primarily seen through Antoine's POV and once Quentin runs away from his would-be rapist, we don't see him again until the funeral, which left me with some questions that we never got any answers to because the film ended 10 minutes later. How did he make it to the funeral when he left all of his possessions behind?
The twins were brilliant in their portrayals, though. They did an excellent job of establishing the polarities in the twins' personalities. I couldn't have asked for more from them.
Overall I enjoyed it, even wished it was longer if only because I wanted more Quentin and his silent brooding.
