The Silent Twins CFF

UK, Poland, USA, 2022, 113 mins.

DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Smoczynska

WITH: Letitia Wright, Tamara Lawrance, Jodhi May, Michael Smiley, Jack Bandeira

Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure) makes out of her English-language debut a wildly imaginative ride. Based on the eponymous best-seller by journalist Marjorie Wallace, The Silent Twins adapts the story of authors June and Jennifer Gibbons who, from an early age, refused to communicate with anyone but each other. Between the harsh reality of being the only black family in town and the turbulence of teenhood, the sisters – played by Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Tamara Lawrance (Small Axe) – deem separation impossible. Elevating their moments of togetherness, the film treats us to neon galore, musical-style interludes, and even puppet animation inspired by the sisters’ diaries and poems. A hard-hitting feast for the senses.

“In Smoczyńska’s curious, careering, unshakeable wallop of a film, no touch is lightly felt, and no hard-fought word taken for granted.” Guy Lodge, Variety

The Cambridge Film Festival is presented by the Cambridge Film Trust, a registered charity with a mission to foster film culture and education for the benefit of the public, in Cambridge and the Eastern region but also throughout the UK. Content warning: Contains scenes of a sexual nature, and drug use