Dead Ringers: A Review

DEAD RINGERS

Twins, it is believed, are able to communicate with each other almost telepathically. I do not know if this is true. I do not know if this is true or not. However, the twin characters in Dead Ringers probably would agree that they have a greater bond than other siblings. With an exceptionally strong central performance and a strange premise, Dead Ringers does wonderful work in its dark tale.

Since they were children, twin brothers Elliott and Jessica Mantel (Jeremy Irons) have shared everything. They have a gynecological practice and are seen as both experts and trailblazers in the field of female reproductive health. They also take advantage of the situation: Elliot or Ellie, the more sophisticated and aggressive one, routinely has affairs or one-night stands with the patients. Beverly or Bev, shyer, less confident and more bookish, picks them up when Ellie is through with them. Actress Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold) falls into that pattern. Unlike other times though, she suspects something is off about the man she was seduced by.

For his part, Beverly has fallen for Claire, making the revelation of the deception hard for the both of them, though not for Ellie. Despite the initial lie, Claire continues an on-off affair with Bev. He now begins to struggle with his feelings towards both Claire and Ellie, medicating himself with her pills. He also starts going bonkers, creating bizarre medical tools and becoming unhinged in the operating room. Ellie attempts to pull his brother together, but will the bizarre love triangle of Elliott, Beverly and Claire bring the twins doom, destruction and despair?

Perhaps I am reading too much into things, but Dead Ringers could be about the duality of individuals, the light and dark sides of a person trying to maintain a balance. I probably am, as this is a story about twins. Still, the appropriately named Mantel Brothers are polar opposites in terms of personality, Elliot the smoother, more charming but amoral one, Beverly the more hesitant and studious one. In their relationship, neither brother built up an independent life separate from the other. Their ties that bind become at times shocking but make for fascinating viewing.

We see this early on when you see them as children. Their efforts at asking a neighbor girl for sex is tied more to their idea of scientific study than pleasure. Here, we see their detachment to concepts like love, their fascination with biology, and the seeds of their eventually destructive lives.

Director David Cronenberg brings a very cold, remote element to Dead Ringers, excellently matching the brothers' overall manner. There is a lot of grey and muted tones in the film. That, however, makes the times that there is color, such as the curiously bright red operating room clothes that the brothers and their team wear all the more eye-catching. It is not done to make things pretty. It is done to have them pop out.

Dead Ringers has the major benefit of Jeremy Irons in those dual roles. One soon forgets that it is the same actor giving two separate performances. In his manner, body movements and facial reactions, Iron quickly convinces us that he is both brothers. Irons' luxurious voice only makes those moments when Beverly is falling apart all the more impactful. You are convinced that the arrogant and cruel Elliot and gentler Beverly truly are different people. 

Sometimes when an actor attempts to play two roles in the same film, it can look false visually or performance wise. Here, Cronenberg does something very clever. He has the brothers simultaneously in the same shot for a surprisingly small amount of time. There are more scenes of them separate from the other. There are also times when, if the brothers are together, Cronenberg will shoot one brother, then move the camera to see the other, and back and forth. This is not a distraction. It enhances both the film and Irons' performance.

In her role, Bujolds makes her sympathetic in her desires for a child, aware as the first woman to catch on their scheme, and tragic as the one who fell for Beverly. 

The adaptation of Bari Woods and Jack Geasland's novel Twins manages to keep things simple but rarely feel long or dragged out. At times, Dead Ringers has an almost dreamlike quality to it. Some of its visions and dream sequences are mesmerizing. Though its Howard Shore score is relatively small, it is elegant and effective when used.

Dead Ringers is a dark and creepy film, but in a good way. It has a standout performance from Jeremy Irons to where you are convinced that he is two different people. Our dual natures of good and evil get a good exploration in Dead Ringers, a film that should be better known.

DECISION: B-