"Twin Town"

Ah the Welsh equivalent to "Trainspotting"!

Set in the industrial, but beautiful town of Swansea, South Wales, this dark comedy introduces us to the perils of family life, tragedy, troubled youths and friendship.

The film is rightly rated 18 and even though a lot of children nowadays will watch an adult film, it is not suitable at all for younger viewers and in many ways can influence them. Although, it does however reflect a society that is already in place.

A caution that throughout the film there is violence, deception, revenge, theft, drugs and extremely strong language. There are also sexual references and small graphic scenes. Even though these scenes are shown in good light, they are still graphic.

*Another caution, there is a swear word in every conversation!! IMDB reckons the word "F**k" features 700 times - that's probably about right!!

Runs approximately 100 minutes and is released by Universal Pictures UK ltd. The video was released by Polygram Filmed Entertainment. The DVD case does not contain a booklet.

I shopped around the internet and managed to find this DVD for £5.99 on Play.Com, a snip of the price Tesco were asking for (£14.99). (plus Nectar points!)
I originally bought the VHS of this film but my recorder chewed it! Time for a replacement!

A noticeable difference between the video and the DVD case is that there are different pictures on both front and back.
Also the printed paper can be reversed on the video to display all the writing on the cover in Welsh. The DVD does not have this personal touch.
Also missing on the DVD printed cover is the very important viewing code and pictures to show the content of the film.

*There is another film edition of this due out in May and its part of the "True British" Collection.

The film was originally made in 1996 and released in 1997.It was filmed entirely on locations such as Swansea and nearby industrial Port Talbot. The film was not a blockbuster smash but it did generate a lot of big company interest in an attempt to improve the status of the small city / large town.

#WHO'S IN IT?

Well apart from an entirely Welsh speaking cast, (the film is in English), and popular faces on soaps and comedies across S4C (channel 4) and BBC Wales, even some of the cast have featured in "Emmerdale" and "The Bill". You might recognise Rhys Ifans of "Notting hill" or "Kevin and Perry". His brother also features, Llyr Evans.

Jeremy Lewis - Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill and several dramas) and Julian Lewis - Llyr Evans (several welsh dramas) are the main brother actors "The Twins" as they are affectionately known by all, and are the stories base. Their troubles and strife make this film.

Several of the other actors feature in Welsh TV series such as "Pobol y Cwm" and the BBC's "Belonging".

Dougray Scott (who plays the cocaine cop Terry Walsh) on the other hand, has an impressive film catalogue behind him. He featured in "Mission Impossible II" and TV series such as "Taggart" and "Lovejoy". Although the entire cast speak Welsh out of film, Dougray is Scottish and the only actor in this film without the Welsh twang.
I find his character incredibly arrogant.

Di Botcher, who plays the Twins and Adie's mam is a very familiar face even if the name is not. She's been in "Tittybangbang" throughout and in "Little Britain". You will recognise her mumsy roles and loveable rounded characters in all of these series.

*What I especially like about this films casting is that they have chosen no big name actors (well, the actors became big name stars afterwards). I love the fact they have picked faces that appear on everyday drama productions or everyday soaps. I get a real familiarity with the characters then as I know they are normal, everyday people. This makes the film more realistic and I know of the troubles in Swansea all too well.

You can find a full extensive list on who's in the film on www.IMDB.com.

#STORY

We are introduced to the Lewis Twins joyriding a stolen car as they provoke local cops. A comical scene that shows an elderly couple who give their drugs in exchange for mushrooms! Already from the first scene we know the basis of the story - theft, drugs and troublesome youths. (Oh, and a lot of swearing!!)

Along with the understanding of the two policemen Terry and Greyo, who deal cocaine and are just as bad as the locals they arrest!

We are introduced to the Lewis family who affectionately bitch towards each other. They swear and tease each other but I can see beneath the shouting image that they are very close. The family constantly give each other rows or put downs, but it seems as though it's playful as no body is getting upset. A lot of banter of this sort goes on between close families.
The family are two boys and Adie who works at a massage parlour and the two parents. They live in a run-down caravan in an industrial park.
A funny scene that really makes us love the family and all their flaws, or purely hate the down-and-outs!
In the caravan we learn "Fatty's" passion for all marine life (an important factor we must notice). A funny argument between Fatty and the boys where he says: "That glue is for my submarines, not for sticking up your noses!"

The main plot develops soon on in the film and "Fatty" Lewis, has to work as a roofing contractor on local business man Bryn Cartwright's buildings. Bryn is passionate about the rugby club he owns and is proud of the wealth it has made for him. During a job Fatty falls off a ladder and plans to eventually claim compensation.

Another main scene is the introduction to Bryn's household. There is a striking contrast in wealth and even family closeness. Bryn lives in a wealthy area of town close to the beautiful beach in a huge mansion with all the mod-cons of life.(Here we see the effectiveness of the song at the start of the movie - "The other man's grass is always greener)

*For some reason I really dislike the way of the Cartwright family. I don't like the way they seem so distant to one other and there is no friendly banter or even small chat.

We are introduced to Bonnie, Bryn's daughter who performs Karaoke at a local nightclub.
During Bonnie's performance, the twins break into the club and cause chaos due to the fact they are angry of their father's compensation refusal by Bryn. After a mugging in an alley way by Bryn they seek revenge and upset the Cartwright family.

*I like the way there is a plot developing slowly between the two very different families. I like the contrast they have clearly shown in the family home and the way of communication between each member. Even the dogs are a different breed that each represents a certain class!

After a very lucky trip to a mountain side

for a smoking-high session, the Twins escape an awful tragedy involving their family. An accident from a revenge act that backfired horrifically. Now orphaned, homeless and lonely the Twins must seek out all the individuals involved in the tradedy. A very moving part of the story which quickly escapades back into the raw, innocent, dark humour that features throughout.
A very funny scene, that is morally wrong but I couldn't help laughing. The twins steal Fatty's hearse at the family funeral! I know this is so dis-respective but the reason for this is moving and lovely, which we see later on.

In a vain attempt by the coppers to push the murder blame onto others, all the subplots are exposed but the Twins know all along who they must find. It's only a matter of time before the Twins set things right.

Does Terry escape his fate? What becomes of Bryn? What did the Twins do with Fatty?

**Note - the product on Ciao is classed as DVD but there are no features at all so it should rightly be "film only". The only thing that makes it DVD is the scene select.
There's not even a subtitles option (most disappointing).

#OVERALL

I loved this film and I found myself laughing at all the terrible situations. This film has incredibly disturbing scenes but the way in which situation is portrayed is comical and seems light-hearted, even if what they are doing is wrong!

The soundtrack is fantastic and features fun, catchy numbers such as "Summer Time"- Mungo Jerry and "Down Town" - Petula Clark. The soundtrack really emphasises the way the film is meant to be viewed, in a good light. There are also a lot of background songs featured by popular modern Welsh bands such as Catatonia and the Manics. The soundtrack is fun and almost silly, as if to poke fun at the troubles these delinquent teens spread around. There are also beautiful welsh melodies and hymns throughout a few scenes and they are incredibly moving.

A lot of people who live near any town will relate to this film a lot and recognise most of the situations or will know of people who are involved with the troubles.
You could say that this film glorifies the perils of troubled youths.
I could relate to the characters as I found them to match the qualities of a lot of families I know. There are a lot of people I work with who are very similar to the film characters so this brings it to life for me.
The film does reflect on the cultures and corrupt society that surrounds this area, and many situations are realistic.

A lot of people, who perhaps are not connected to industries or are slightly upper class might not get the feel to this film, and will judge the characters badly. Yes, all the characters seem un-educated, poor, and trouble makers, but that is the way of life in a lot of places. That's what makes it so funny, it's real.
I would say the film is patriotic, passionate and proud!

There are many twists in each sub-plot and every character has a tragedy to tell of. I can't help really feeling for the Twins and their loveable family, and I can't help thinking they are the victims of society. Even though they seem naughty, they are great characters and the real life brothers work along side each other brilliantly.
The brothers manage to show a real bond in the film and I later learned they were real brothers!

This film's a great buy for those with a dark, twisted humour but this is a far cry from a girly film I'm afraid!

Thanks for reading! Lock up your dogs!