THE TWIN (2022)
Label: Acorn Media International
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 108 Minutes
Rating: Cert. 15
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Taneli Mustonen
Cast: Teresa Palmer, Steven Cree, Tristan Ruggeri, Barbara Marten
The Twin (2022) is the English language debut of Finnish filmmaker Taneli Mustonen (Lake Bodom), and on the surface it seems to be your standard issue creepy kid flick with some Midsommer-ish folk horror elements, but it's quite a bit more than that. In it grieving parents Rachel (Teresa Palmer, A Discovery of Witches) and Anthony (Steven Cree, Maleficent) move to the other side of the world following the death of one of their twin sons, now they're set on focusing on their surviving twin son, Elliot (Tristan Ruggeri, The Witcher). To that end they relocate to the Scandinavian countryside, and it seems an idyllic place, very rustic, but the locals seems to have some antiquated customs that border on cult-like looking from the outside in, and while Anthony is from there his wife Rachel is very much an outsider.
Rachel is deeply stricken with grief and loss, and this worsens when Elliott claims to be in communications with his dead brother, later even claiming to be him, which sends Rachel into a wild spin of paranoia and worry exacerbated by an old crone named Helen (Barbara Marten) who tells her that a dark entity is attempting to possess her son. As Rachel tries to convince her husband of the potentially dark threat to Elliott he seems to not want to listen, which further fuels her paranoia, giving the film a tense Rosemary's Baby sort of vibe. The performances are top-notch across the board, you buy the suffering of the grieving mom and understand her separation anxiety when her surviving son is out of sight, you feel for the dad as he struggles to not give into the grief and focus on the future with their surviving son, and, not to be mean, but, young Tristan Ruggeri is super-creepy as Elliott/Nathan, like The Omen kid creepy!
Rachel is deeply stricken with grief and loss, and this worsens when Elliott claims to be in communications with his dead brother, later even claiming to be him, which sends Rachel into a wild spin of paranoia and worry exacerbated by an old crone named Helen (Barbara Marten) who tells her that a dark entity is attempting to possess her son. As Rachel tries to convince her husband of the potentially dark threat to Elliott he seems to not want to listen, which further fuels her paranoia, giving the film a tense Rosemary's Baby sort of vibe. The performances are top-notch across the board, you buy the suffering of the grieving mom and understand her separation anxiety when her surviving son is out of sight, you feel for the dad as he struggles to not give into the grief and focus on the future with their surviving son, and, not to be mean, but, young Tristan Ruggeri is super-creepy as Elliott/Nathan, like The Omen kid creepy!
This is a film is quite handsomely shot with gorgeous Scandinavian scenery, and it's quite sneaky in that it advertises one thing an then turns it on you, infusing the creepy kid folk horror with a psychological underpinning that not only has emotional weight to it, but will get you in a twist by the end. I see the finale spinning a few heads, and it will surely be a film that is either loved or hated based on the turn of events and perception. I love that I'm still out of sorts about how I feel about it, it definitely got under my skin and I have tilted toward love/hate several time since taking it in. That's a good thing, I love a solid polarizing film, and this is definitely one that I see people lining up on either side of, and maybe even switching sides after a good think on it.
Audio/Video: The Blu-ray from Acorn Media International looks fantastic, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (2.40:1) with the digital cinematography coming through sharp and detailed with colors that looks accurate. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The only extras is an 8-min making of featurette, a selection of Acorn trailers, and a Shudder promo. The single-disc release arrives in an oversized keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, the same artwork appears on the disc. .
Special Features:
- The Making of The Twin (8 min)
- Acorn Media Trailers: Son (2 min), The Cellar (2 min), The Room (2 min)
Screenshots from the Acorn Media International Blu-ray:
