film reel image

film reel image

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The Evil Twin 2021 * * * Stars

DOUBLE THE NASTINESS, DOUBLE THE FUN

In 2021's The Evil Twin, the twin sister characters are played by one person. Emily and Charlotte are portrayed by Canadian native Emily Piggford. It's an impressive performance and for the life of me, I still can't figure out how the filmmakers pull that stuff off. I suppose it's blocking, stand-ins, tireless rehearsals, or mysterious tricks of the cinematic trade.

So yeah, "Evil Twin" is a Lifetime movie where the two sister personas are so dissimilar from each other you wouldn't even know they came from the same blood. I mean their looks are identical (obviously) but their psyches are completely unalike. Normally I'd call this premise dubious and convenient but hey, the film wouldn't exist without it. 

Distributed by Lifetime television and taking place in a Mayberry town where everybody knows everybody, The Evil Twin chronicles antique store worker Emily (Piggford). After being in a strained relationship with her intense boyfriend, Emily decides to move back to her hometown to start anew. There, she encounters a twin sister she has never met (Charlotte). Charlotte is ugly on the inside while being conniving and without remorse. Instead of embracing long-lost sisterhood with Emily, Charlotte decides to make things worse for her. That includes murdering people on the side, stirring the gossip turd, and even cutting her hair the same way as Emily. Can't we all just get along!

All in all, The Evil Twin is a Lifetime pic that uses its veritable twin hook to really catch you off guard. It's the mano-a-mano of good vs evil. It's also a character study a la the notion of polar facing. Emily Piggford's way of deciphering the mannerisms of the two sisters is well, a big feat. Every scene has to be just right and despite "Evil Twin" being a little too coincidental for its own good, the flick doesn't cheat the audience in the way it all goes down. "Twin" win-win. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

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