The idea of twins sharing pain, covering up a murder to protect their psycho mother, and the priest/doctor who is trying to help is fine. But the script is so convoluted and the direction is just plain garbage. Good acting by Gérard Depardieu and Élodie Bouchez. So the film is watchable. But while watching, waiting for the whole thing to make any sense, it does not deliver.
I saw this movie as part of a 8 movie dvd set. It was in French/Portuguese with English subtitles. I paid attention. But it didn't help. Here's some of the problems: 1, The priest keeps having flashbacks, someone getting beat up. This adds to nothing. Except to the confusion. 2, The Nun Twin is in Brazil, but that is not revealed until well into the film. Then they're in France. What's that all about? 3, Priest bumps into the Convict Twin in a church. Coincidence? Contrivance? 4, Priest and the Convict Twin watch over the priest's professor's kids while the professor's wife is having a baby. More contrivance? Artificial suspense? The priest knows the Twin was just released for murdering a kid. They arrive just in time when the professor is taking his wife to the hospital for the delivery and that they didn't have time to call a baby sitter for their other kids, and the Priest and the Twin show up just in time. Come on! 5, Who killed the journalist, and why? Was it to silence the info he found out about, or put a kill in the movie? 6, No clue that it was the mother that killed the baby. They just throw that info in at the end. 7, Who killed the mother superior, and why? Another contrivance for another kill? 8, The priest is suspended for forgery and disobedience and conveniently falls in love with the convict twin. Yes, she's a very pretty woman. But the whole set up was just ridiculous. 9, What's the deal with the voodoo scene? Just for visuals? What did that add to the plot? 10, Why did the mother superior refuse medical treatment for the Nun Twin, and why all the secrecy, and hiring some thugs to attack the priest? 11, The scene at the passport office was a failed attempt at suspense. 12, Did both or one of the twins jump off the building? And why? And did both twins survive or only one, if so which one? We don't know.
So, what we have here is a film that was made before some serious rewrites took place. The points I've outlined above are just some of the problems. If I was the producer I'm sure I would have found other holes. But some of the biggest issues are they do not explore too much the initial idea of identical twins who feel each other's pains. So, what is left is a film that is decently acted, filmed and edited with competent music. But forget about any type of logic and or suspense.
Rating is a C for a B movie. 4 stars, mostly for the acting.
I saw this movie as part of a 8 movie dvd set. It was in French/Portuguese with English subtitles. I paid attention. But it didn't help. Here's some of the problems: 1, The priest keeps having flashbacks, someone getting beat up. This adds to nothing. Except to the confusion. 2, The Nun Twin is in Brazil, but that is not revealed until well into the film. Then they're in France. What's that all about? 3, Priest bumps into the Convict Twin in a church. Coincidence? Contrivance? 4, Priest and the Convict Twin watch over the priest's professor's kids while the professor's wife is having a baby. More contrivance? Artificial suspense? The priest knows the Twin was just released for murdering a kid. They arrive just in time when the professor is taking his wife to the hospital for the delivery and that they didn't have time to call a baby sitter for their other kids, and the Priest and the Twin show up just in time. Come on! 5, Who killed the journalist, and why? Was it to silence the info he found out about, or put a kill in the movie? 6, No clue that it was the mother that killed the baby. They just throw that info in at the end. 7, Who killed the mother superior, and why? Another contrivance for another kill? 8, The priest is suspended for forgery and disobedience and conveniently falls in love with the convict twin. Yes, she's a very pretty woman. But the whole set up was just ridiculous. 9, What's the deal with the voodoo scene? Just for visuals? What did that add to the plot? 10, Why did the mother superior refuse medical treatment for the Nun Twin, and why all the secrecy, and hiring some thugs to attack the priest? 11, The scene at the passport office was a failed attempt at suspense. 12, Did both or one of the twins jump off the building? And why? And did both twins survive or only one, if so which one? We don't know.
So, what we have here is a film that was made before some serious rewrites took place. The points I've outlined above are just some of the problems. If I was the producer I'm sure I would have found other holes. But some of the biggest issues are they do not explore too much the initial idea of identical twins who feel each other's pains. So, what is left is a film that is decently acted, filmed and edited with competent music. But forget about any type of logic and or suspense.
Rating is a C for a B movie. 4 stars, mostly for the acting.