Twinsters

So even "famous" people can have secrets or rather a past they themselves haven't figured out yet ... in case this is news for you. And I don't mean to be disparaging with my famous comment. I just think that some people may not know one of the two women in question, even if she has been in Hollywood movies.

But this is not about stardom or celebrity status, this is about family. A missing piece in someones life. Even if they didn't know. And the adventures those two individuals take upon them. Always in company of others, but still in sync with each other. Funny, engaging and sentimental to a point ... and life affirming!

This documentary was very well done. I wept through most of it, struck by how nearly impossible it was to tell one sister from the other when they were not speaking. I'm so glad that Anais' friends discovered Samantha on Youtube and brought them together. I'm glad their growing up families where both very supportive of their reuniting and most of all, extremely glad that they both agreed to go back to S. Korea, the land of their birth. I'm happy for them that they met their foster mothers who were warm and welcoming. But as a reunited mother of a child I lost to adoption (in the US) I can't but feel horribly sad not only for the twins but for their mother who, over the past 25 years still wasn't able to break free of the horrid restraints on mothers who lose there children to adoption in Korea, and agree to meet her two wonderful daughters. I have been to Korea and realize that their social mores are very similar to what ours in the US were in the middle of the last century in the U.S., but I can't but hope that their mother will someone gather the strength it takes, after losing two of her precious babies to adoption, to agree to meet them now. If there was anything I could say to her from one mother to another, it is that meeting your lost 'babies' will set your free from the horrible bondage of loss that parting with them has locked you in. And having them and their love in your life now, will help you through whatever nightmare S. Korean society still uses to hold you down, away from your lost 'babies'. All that said, I feel Holt Agency has committed huge crimes against the parent and perhaps unplanned children of Korea by making it possible to export more children from their home country than any other nation in the world. They owe it to each and ever adoptee and their natural parents to do everything in their power to make thing right, work to bridge the gap that adoption separation and loss has caused and help families reunite and achieve some form of healing and continuity in the lives they have left to live. I wish both Anias and Samantha all the best that life has to offer as they go forward from here, hopefully, that will include meeting their 1st mother and other family members to make their loss come full-circle and given then some sense of feeling complete again beyond what their reunion to date has done

This is the story of separated-at-birth twin sisters discovering and meeting each other. Stretched out over an entire feature length documentary. That's it. It could be done in fifteen minutes, but instead we are forced to sit through interminable footage of messages of them saying "pop" to each other, and lots and lots of giggling (although, full disclosure, I switched it off fifteen minutes before the end because I couldn't summon up the interest to continue; so it's possible there was some rewarding content in the final quarter of an hour. No regrets). It doesn't even have anything new or interesting to say about the nature of twinship in general, let alone in examining this particular set of twins. Do yourself a favour and watch the far more in depth, character-filled, and documentary-worthy Three Identical Strangers instead

This film just aired on the Fusion Channel. I loved it. First question: When this adventure first began, did it suddenly occur to Samantha this story potentially could be a great documentary, AND, if so, how did she quickly connect up with a film production company and producers to quickly capture everything. She did mention that she had graduated from college and later was wearing a Boston University t-shirt. BU is a great film school--did she make a connection there?

Second question: Did either girl speak Korean? When the first foster mother came into the room, I could of sworn that Samantha was translating to her sister. I could be wrong because the only technical criticism I have is the sound capturing was very poor. It was as if they only had a single mike overhead on a boom which picked up a lot of sound bouncing off walls and ceiling along with trying to capture different voice levels at the same time. It didn't work AND there is no CC to turn on to help.

This documentary was possibly the most emotionally involving film I've seen in years. As the protagonist becomes immersed in the totally surreal experience of discovering and meeting her doppelgänger on another continent, the viewer can completely empathize with every twinge of emotion, euphoria, stupefaction, and deep, deep feeling. It also provides some good insights into the Korean international adoption phenomenon and the large number of adoptees hoping to meet their birth mothers. By turns hilarious and heartrending, it really gives you the whole roller-coaster experience. Bring a hanky and be prepared to fall in love.

The skill and immediacy of the story-telling are phenomenal--well-conceived and beautifully executed. The music and animation are effectively and judiciously used, and the editing was genius.

Of course it is an amazing story, so that helps. It left me wanting to stay involved in the story, caring so much about these endearing, creative, hilarious, true-hearted people. Brava! (pop)