★★★★★
Alex trusts his twin, Marcus, to tell him about his past after he loses his memory. But Marcus is hiding a dark family history.
Classification: 15
Using the most simple conventions of documentary filmmaking, Ed Perkins utilises the medium to its fullest effect in telling the harrowing story of Marcus and Alex Lewis. With incredibly intimate interviews between the twin brothers, Perkins allows a story of two sides to unfold in directions the audience cannot expect even after the initial reveal. The intimacy is extended to the visual components to the storytelling which goes beyond the unflinching revelations from Marcus Lewis. Home movie footage alongside recreations capture the hollow nature of the Lewis's childhood, the isolation their story brings with them, Alex due to his memory loss and Marcus because of his own repression.
Tell Me Who I Am is a film about memory and how memories define who we are, how our history creates the person we become. In the initial introduction of the film, the audience learns one half of the story through Alex's interview, how he lost his memory and how Marcus was the only thing he could remember. Alex places trust in Marcus to guide him back to himself and through his interviews reveals that despite that love and trust, something was being hidden from him. Perkins is deliberate with how information is revealed in the film, not just to draw out suspense or shocks but to represent Alex's own journey of discovery. At first, one would think that Marcus is hiding some secret concerning Alex's past self, some personality or behaviour that has been wiped but it's much more tragic.
Perkins structures his documentary in three acts, Alex's story, Marcus's story and their stories together, reunited before the audience in a heart-stopping interview as we witness the ramifications of the revelations. The documentary isn't merely an accounting of memories but a vessel for the two brothers to confront each other over their past as Perkins has the film capture their bravery. Without divulging spoilers, the content covered by Tell Me Who I Am can be very upsetting and shocking but the handling of the material and emotions connected to it never feels intrusive. The film doesn't want to deceive its audience but to truly put them in the shoes of the subject so when the curtain is pulled back to reveal the secret it's a swift gut punch that knocks the wind out of you. By having the film reunite them and argue the brother's point of views in the third interview, Perkins has the film become quite therapeutic for both the subject and the audience.
The bravery of Marcus and Alex Lewis can't be commended enough as they allow Perkins and the film to examine the most private and darkest period of their lives. Again it never feels intrusive but gives the audience an unfiltered look into the consequences of this subject matter and the harsh truths many would prefer to ignore. Keeping the camera on a tight close up for all the interviews means no one can escape this truth, not even Marcus Lewis as the film has him expose pieces of his childhood that he has never shared. These two men place their trust in Perkins and the audience to see their story not just as a cautionary tale but a place for healing and forgiveness. Strangers on both sides of the screen but bonded by the humanity of what the truth will bring.
It begins as a film about memory but transforms so many times covering pain, deceit, trust, corruption, and most importantly brotherhood all while remaining consistent in its retellings. Despite the horror that is presented Perkins never goes for the exploitative route, using the Lewis's story for shock value, the recreations focusing on the environments rather than actions, like fragments of a memory. Allowing the interviews to be the sole source of Marcus and Lewis's story rather than exaggerated dramatisations. Tell Me Who I Am is a powerful unmissable documentary that gives strength to the suffering and sets an example of how film can be an incredible tool for support and guidance.
Director: #EdPerkins
Cast: #MarcusLewis, #AlexLewis
Release Date: October 18th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from Netflix
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