26/11/2024 - The autobiographical self-exploration of Estonian brothers Raul and Romet Esko attempts to delve into twinhood, but it ends up as a barely entertaining compilation of sketches

As typical Generation Z representatives – “Z” for Zoomers, raised on the internet and social media, which means hopping between screens and contents at light speed – brothers Raul and Romet Esko struggle to concentrate on anything for long, a trait that’s evident on screen, for better and for worse. On the positive side, they remain true to their nature, authentically transmitting the fragmented gaze of "telekids" born in 1999, which, according to their online bio, was shaped by Cartoon Network and action movies. This characteristic is further emphasised by the movie’s visual style, built on a panning camera manned by DoP Toomas Tatar, and the frantic editing of Victoria Villig.

The unencouraging news is that, even without expecting an organically developed environment or a cohesive narrative, the viewer is barely entertained by the compilation of sketches that make up Two of Me, which premiered last week in the First Feature Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Meanwhile, the irony directed at the older generation, which accuses them of chaos and pointlessness, inadvertently reflects the actual artistic outcome the Esko brothers ultimately achieve. And while this might be interpreted as a deliberately self-aware choice, it still doesn’t save the film.

Starting with the seemingly carefree existential reasoning that “being born is like a lottery – no one knows if they’ll end up in a shithole or in paradise”, the film sets the stage for an exploration of blood-based predestination. However, for the twin Esko brothers, as they claim themselves, it doesn’t really matter, since they came into the world together. While the narration repeatedly circles back to this concept, the theme frequently loses its focus. The brothers, playing themselves in this attempt at a fictionalised docu-comedy, attend film school, where locally well-known actor Rain Tolk plays a professor attempting to instil certain ideas in their minds. His choice for this role undoubtedly serves as a nod to the cult Estonian flick Autumn Ball [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in which Tolk appears in a key scene that the Eskos sarcastically try to quote while they mention the movie as an example of the kind of cinema they don’t aspire to create. Despite his open scepticism about their ideas, Tolk's character allocates money from the school budget to help the brothers make their feature-length debut. Left to their own devices, they then drift between vague ideas, media-fuelled ambition to be artists at any cost, and hormonal turmoil: Raul finds a girlfriend, while the more reserved Romet attempts to sublimate his jealousy and repressed desires into creative energy. When most of their attempts to film various episodes fail, they head to Nigeria, hoping to be able to shoot the birth of some twins. But when that also falls through, a somewhat hopeless conclusion is reached: “We had to give away everything to find each other.”

Here and there, the Esko brothers mention Tarantino as a much-admired idol who defied authority. However, what sets their low-budget, spontaneous approach apart from his is that their excitement seems to focus more on how they’ll stand out in a film, rather than on the movie itself. The very fact that they choose to chronicle their own first filmmaking experience speaks volumes about their priorities. Cinephilia has been replaced by self-promotion and image-making. While the authors clearly seem to be having fun, their self-centred approach will struggle to connect with anyone beyond their circle of friends, perhaps.

Two of Me was produced by Estonia’s Tallifornia.