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Twinsters is a documentary directed by its star, actress and Youtuber Samantha Futerman, who begins filming when she receives a mysterious message from a French girl living in London. Although the two have never met, they look eerily similar, and they are both Korean adoptees with the same birth date. Could they be twins?
Well of course they are! (Would anyone have bothered turning the footage into a documentary if the answer was no?) But despite the fact that the viewer has this advance cue, there’s still a genuine feeling of uncertainty and gentle suspense as you watch: the girls are nearly sure almost at once that they’re twins, but the niggling uncertainty gnaws at the edges of the frame until they get DNA confirmation - just a few hours after Samantha and her friends & family all fly over to meet Anais in person. (Wouldn’t that have been an awkward trip if the twin expert who tested their DNA Skyped in to say, “Nah, you guys are not related at all”!)
The serendipitous nature of the documentary makes it particularly fun. The story just landed in Futerman’s lap/Facebook inbox, and her previous filming experience made it possible for her to capture it from the very beginning.
And it’s just a real feel-good movie (without being sappy). Is there anything better than long-lost relatives finding each other against all odds? Well, it helps if they’re twins separated at birth who swiftly become BFFs because they have so much in common.
But there are beguiling differences between them too, like the fact that they have been shaped so differently by their adoptions. Samantha adjusted well - she’s delighted to find her lost sister, but you don’t get the feeling that it’s caused any kind of psychological sea change for her - but Anais always felt lonely and out of place as a child, and for her, the discovery of her twin sister and their eventual visit to South Korea, where they take part in a homecoming ceremony for adoptees, is very healing.
Well of course they are! (Would anyone have bothered turning the footage into a documentary if the answer was no?) But despite the fact that the viewer has this advance cue, there’s still a genuine feeling of uncertainty and gentle suspense as you watch: the girls are nearly sure almost at once that they’re twins, but the niggling uncertainty gnaws at the edges of the frame until they get DNA confirmation - just a few hours after Samantha and her friends & family all fly over to meet Anais in person. (Wouldn’t that have been an awkward trip if the twin expert who tested their DNA Skyped in to say, “Nah, you guys are not related at all”!)
The serendipitous nature of the documentary makes it particularly fun. The story just landed in Futerman’s lap/Facebook inbox, and her previous filming experience made it possible for her to capture it from the very beginning.
And it’s just a real feel-good movie (without being sappy). Is there anything better than long-lost relatives finding each other against all odds? Well, it helps if they’re twins separated at birth who swiftly become BFFs because they have so much in common.
But there are beguiling differences between them too, like the fact that they have been shaped so differently by their adoptions. Samantha adjusted well - she’s delighted to find her lost sister, but you don’t get the feeling that it’s caused any kind of psychological sea change for her - but Anais always felt lonely and out of place as a child, and for her, the discovery of her twin sister and their eventual visit to South Korea, where they take part in a homecoming ceremony for adoptees, is very healing.
