Brothers of the Head (2006)

66% of critics liked it
(65 reviews)
43% of users liked it
(19,113 ratings)

Brothers of the Head was adapted from Brian Aldiss' novel by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, and marks the narrative feature debut of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha), who have structured Aldiss' story as a mock documentary. Twins Luke and Harry Treadaway star, respectively, as conjoined… More Brothers of the Head was adapted from Brian Aldiss' novel by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, and marks the narrative feature debut of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha), who have structured Aldiss' story as a mock documentary. Twins Luke and Harry Treadaway star, respectively, as conjoined twins Barry and Tom Howe, joined at the torso. They were essentially purchased from their family as teens in the 1970s by a sleazy showbiz impresario, Zak Bedderwick (Howard Attfield), who planned to turn them into rock stars. Manager Nick (Sean Harris) kept the volatile Barry in line, sometimes violently, while musician Paul (Bryan Dick) taught the introspective Tom how to play the guitar, and helped the brothers write their songs. A documentary filmmaker, Eddie (Tom Bower), was hired to record the process. Their first live performance was a near disaster, as the rowdy pub crowd didn't welcome the sight of the two young men coming on-stage with their arms around each other, but Barry, the charismatically angry frontman, shocked the crowd by exposing the joint between them as he ripped into a snarling performance of their first single, "Two-Way Romeo," and the legend of their group, the Bang Bang, was born. As the proto-punk group's fame grew, Laura (Tania Emery), a young journalist, came to write an article about them, and quickly developed a romantic relationship with Tom, causing friction between the brothers. The film features interviews with some of the characters in the present day, and clips from an imagined unfinished Ken Russell film about the twins, starring Jonathan Pryce and Jane Horrocks. The music of the Bang Bang, performed by cast members and the band Crackout, was written and produced by Clive Langer. Brothers of the Head was shown at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 6, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Nov 14, 2006
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Undermined by its form: strange as it ought to be, the mockumentary conventions of the movie make everything strangely familiar.
Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News
... the story of British conjoined twins turned underground punk-rock tragic figures can't be ignored, if not for the ingenious way of disguising truth, then for the unsettling presentation of human emotions.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
So cleverly constructed that it's easy to be taken in and believe these twins really rocked.
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
A provocative but oddly unsatisfying film experiment.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
All the artiness on hand can't conceal the familiar raucous sound of the carnival barker outside.
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
It's the songs ... that give the movie its emotional ballast, countering the filmmakers' intellectualized approach and meta-narrative style.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
"Lost In La Mancha" directors Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton take a flailing mockumentary shot at a convoluted narrative about a pair of conjoined twins-turned-punk-rock-duo.
Jette Kernion, Cinematical
The edgy humor and oddly compelling lead characters make it well worth seeing.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
Needed more to counter its "twin" shortcomings: the questionable gimmick and too much lousy music.
Patrick Peters, Empire Magazine
Despite the odd moment of visual bravura, this mockumentary is too aware of its own satirical daring. Consequently, it's never as dark, dangerous or amusing as it thinks.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Harry and Luke Treadaway give astonishing performances (or rather an astonishing performance), creating a believable physicality for their characters, as well as distinct personalities.
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
The credible feel of this film-within-the-film remains an achievement; it's neither mocking nor parodic and nearly always deadly serious.
Matthew Leyland, BBC
Co-directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe have a gift for making fake footage look like the real deal. But they're not so hot when it comes to simulating human drama.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
"Brothers" puts a clever and disturbing twist on the self-destructive arc that so many real-life rock bands take.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
An astonishing twinning of wild imagination and drop-dead realism.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
What becomes painfully apparent as the drudgery rolls on is that the only freak show here is the movie itself.
Michael Szymanski, Hollywood.com
No doubt one of the weirdest, most off-beat movies you can see all year, and with a rocking soundtrack.

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Gordon A

Manages to overcome its freak show premise with a serious look at a conjoined twins' struggle with life.
Keysha H

I really like the music in this film, and the idea of conjoined-twin punk rockers is fairly unique to the faux-documentry genre. I wish there was a little more of a background story, it would have made for a deeper connection to the characters.
Drew S

The worst ruination of an awesome premise since David Cronenberg's Crash. You couldn't make a more dull film on purpose. Seriously, all I can remember about this movie is that it has conjoined twins in it, and you can see that from the front of the goddamn DVD case. Also,… More
The worst ruination of an awesome premise since David Cronenberg's Crash. You couldn't make a more dull film on purpose. Seriously, all I can remember about this movie is that it has conjoined twins in it, and you can see that from the front of the goddamn DVD case. Also, there's one scene where they throw a brick at someone, and a scene where they make out at a photoshoot which was probably the most entertaining thing in the whole movie. But all of this is just...numbing. Styleless. Mirthless. A God-awful waste of time.
Bannan i

I was anticipating seeing this movie for eons and was glad that I waited. The atmosphere makes it appear to be based on a true story...so I was a little shocked to find out it was based on a book instead. The story of two siamese twins plucked from their quiet country life and… More
I was anticipating seeing this movie for eons and was glad that I waited. The atmosphere makes it appear to be based on a true story...so I was a little shocked to find out it was based on a book instead. The story of two siamese twins plucked from their quiet country life and plunged into the music business. Their father practically signs them off to a label despite the sister's protests. It is a dark, gritty, sometimes painful but also extremely beautiful in all its strangeness. The music itself is raw and full of human emotion as they turn their anger for the world into song. As I'm quite biased when it comes to IFC films [as in I love almost all of them...], it may not be just for anyone. Regardless, I do think you lot should check it out...just don't expect sunshine and lollipops.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Brothers of the Head", it is 1974 and Zak Bedderwick(Howard Attfield), desperate for a new hit band, signs the Siamese twins, Barry(Luke Treadaway) and Tom Howe(Harry Treadaway), from a remote part of England but they have no musical training.… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Brothers of the Head", it is 1974 and Zak Bedderwick(Howard Attfield), desperate for a new hit band, signs the Siamese twins, Barry(Luke Treadaway) and Tom Howe(Harry Treadaway), from a remote part of England but they have no musical training. However, they soon get the hang of it and even play live on the way to recording an album...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]...enter crusading journalist Laura Ashworth(Tania Emery).[/font] [font=Century Gothic]The oddest thing about the potentially provocative "Brothers of the Head" is its pseudo-documentary structure which replicates footage from a verite documentary, a never completed film about the twins called "Two-Way Romeo" directed by Ken Russell(!) and interviews with various characters. The usual reason to make a documentary is to impart knowledge but here the verite style just keeps the viewers at an emotional distance from the characters. And except for some brief commentary on the music business, most of the other thematic material concerning twins had already been covered in "Dead Ringers" and "Twin Falls Idaho." Otherwise, this is a gorgeously shot film; nails the period detail perfectly; rings true and has a couple of nice touches including the opening sequence and the inclusion of Ken Russell. [/font]
William G

Realistic to impressive and sometimes grating effect, but what's the point?

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Harry Treadaway as Tom Howe

            Luke Treadaway as Barry Howe

            Bryan Dick as Paul Day (1970s)

            Sean Harris as Nick

            Tania Emery as Laura Ashworth (1970s)

            Diana Kent as Ashworth Laura (Present)

            Tom Bower as Eddie Pasqua

            David Kennedy as Paul Day (Present Day)

            Elizabeth Rider as Roberta Howe

            Jane Horrocks as Roberta Howe (Two-Way Romeo)

            Jonathan Pryce as Henry Couling (Two-Way Romeo)

            John Simm as Boatman (Two-Way Romeo)

            James Greene
            
            Ken Russell as Ken Russell The Film Director

            Brian Aldiss as James Greene. The Author

            Luke Wagner as Young Zak

            Anna Nygh as Rita Bedderwick

            Howard Attfield as Zak Bedderwick

            Ed Hogg as Chris Dervish

            Nicholas Millard as Tubs

            Ken Bones as Henry Couling

            Roger Watkins as Old Howe (Two-Way Romeo)

            Steven Eagles as Spitz

            Raymond Pickard as Druggy

            Joe Van Moyland as Druggy Friend

            Ray Cooper as Ray Cooper

            Kenneth Hadley as Pub Manager

            Isabel Skinner as Concert Vox Pops

            Michelle Bayton as Concert Vox Pops

            Gillian Farr as Concert Vox Pops

            Roger Spottiswoode as Concert Vox Pops

            Neil McKay as Concert Vox Pops

            Matthew Pearson as Concert Vox Pops

            Kieran Rushby as Concert Vox Pops

            Kristel George as Concert Vox Pops

            Brian 'Dawn' Chalkley as Stylist

            Anne Lambton as Cilla

            Jack Dunkley as Roadie

            Jeffry Wickham as Sir Allardyce Stevens

            Tom Sturridge as Barry Howe (Two-Way Rodeo)

            Barbara Ewing as Dr. Janice Marsden
See full cast