Review of Dead Ringers (1988) by Eduardo C — 01 Sep 2007

It is not difficult to identify a David Cronenberg film. Yes, the presence of Howard Shore is helpful, some of his fetishes (body transformation, terror from within, perverse sexuality) are usually lurking within, but it is the cold, clinical detatchment that he brings to his work that truly makes it his own. It keeps the audience from being too repulsed at what they are watching, because it is not used for shock value. It also makes them uneasy, nervous, not unlike being in a hospital. Everything is just a little too sterile, the combination of smells, and lack thereof, the distance from the (patients). Yet as he has evolved, he has learned to maintain the detatchment without sacrificing audience empathy with characters. "The Fly" may be the supreme example here, but pretty much everything following "Videodrome" is the work of a much more character-conscious, director. Some would say he has evolved, I would say he is great, was great and probably will always remain so.

"Dead Ringers", despite its shlocky, exploitation title is a character drama as filtered through the mind of David Cronenberg. Jeremy Irons, in perhaps the finest performance of his carreer, convincingly plays a pair of identical twins with an unhealthy, symbiotic relationship. It is not an exageration to say they share everything. In many ways, they are two sides of the same coin, the same man. When one of the twins falls in love, this brings about, in more ways than one, the collapse of both. Separation anxiety does not even begin to cover it.

The entire film is somewhat uncomfortable to watch, probably more so for women since the twins are gynecologists. There is one particular scene where Beverly is giving a middle-aged woman an examination that is so brutal (despite the fact it is not violent at all), so cold, so carelessly sadistic that it made me squirm. It is a violation of one of the most sacred trusts (doctor-patient) but, even more so, between the most intimate of doctors and the patients that present themselves to him in such a vulnerable position, that it made me squirm. Women, I am sure, would feel it even more.

The film culminates in typical Cronenberg fashion. The horror, remember, is not external but always from within. It is also surprisingly moving watching the steps these twins will go through for eachother, and to ensure that at least one of them can live as normal a life as is possible.

For Cronenberg fans this is a must watch. Those into psychology or philosophy will also find much to discuss (as usual). Anyone else, well, I don't know. You'll like it or you won't.