QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM TALLINN

Twin Brothers and film students Raul and Romet Esko, complain that no Estonian movie featuring twins is done well. With a little inspiration from Christopher Nolan’s feature debut, Following (1998), the pair decide it’s high time they made a feature. Before settling on a script, their film tutor challenges them on a series of conceptions. The one question he confronts all of his students with is, what is the point of the film or why should it exist?

Two of Me, written and directed by the Esko brothers, is about the twin experience, but it’s also set behind-the-scenes on their feature debut. The meta leaning drama and comedy, reveals the absurdity of their professional practice, but it also categorises Two of Me as a film about cinema.

Raul and Romet carry themselves in a way that they see themselves as these larger-than-life figures, especially in the early scenes. This has likely been influenced by cinema, which isn’t unique because we appropriate what we see in film and television. It’s also possible that their energetic and colourful personalities are a product of their natural confidence or their twindom. Regardless, the mix of their personalities, the humour and the gonzo like vibe can overwhelm, despite the commitment they show to their vision.

The comparison to Nolan contextualises creativity as a pursuit, of not only our own ambitions, hopes and dreams, but of other creatives. The film begins by introducing us to these two dreamers and whether it’s your type of humour and absurdity, they take you on a journey.

Beginning with statistics about the number of twins born, and looking back on their early lives together, the film gradually becomes more observational. However, their strong and seemingly unbreakable bond is tested when Raul steps outside of the exclusively co-dependent relationship and starts seeing someone. Spending more time with her and devoting less time to the film, tensions between the twin brothers rise. While this may be seen as a threat, pulling the pair apart, their filmmaking aspirations and dependency on one another paints an alternative future.

The exploration of their relationship is seen through the prism of filmmaking. However, herein lies the problem. There is no shortage of film documentaries and while a love of filmmaking is present here, if there’s a choice of film documentaries to watch, Two of Me struggles to command the attention others do, such as, Full Tilt Boogie (1997), Lost in La Mancha (2002), and Mark Cousins’ film documentaries. Raul and Romet struggle to get under the skin of the filmmaking process and cinema more broadly.

Sadly, Two of Me has the air of a vanity project, similar to American musician Pharrell Williams’ Lego biopic Piece By Piece (2024), directed by Morgan Neville. The self-importance that bleeds through, risks detracting from the overall film. There is, however, no other approach they can likely take given their highly energised and sometimes quirky personalities.

What’s interesting about the film is the way in which the twin brothers, like Williams, are actively taking control of their own narrative. It’s unsurprising given the prominent role of the influencer culture and social media that has given the younger generations enormous control over their lives in ways that still feels revolutionary. Two of Me is part of the conversation about the evolution of the media, and what this means for individuals in building personal brands, and our societies more broadly.

This piece of met-cinema has its moments. A story of people who dare to dream and to turn their aspirations into reality is one that can be universally appreciated.

Two of Me just premiered in the First Feature Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.