BROTHERS OF THE HEAD

The story is thus: Tom and Barry Howe (Harry and Luke Treadaway) are sold by their father to an old stage performer (Howard Attfield) on their 18th's birthday. Seeing an opportinuty for publicity, Zak (the owner) hires Paul Day (Bryan Dick), member of his previous proteges The Noize, to mould them into musicians. Throughout this, a documentary filmmaker named Eddie (Tom Bower) follows their every move. As their popularity grows, they attract the attention of Yoko-esque reporter Laura Ashworth (Tania Emery), who quickly falls in love with Tom. As Tom and Laura continue with their relationship, doctors find a tumour in Barry's brain, believed to be the third, undeveloped brother. As Barry spirals out of control, Tom considers the possibility of being separated, until all hell breaks loose.

The film is visually stimulating combining the grainy film stock of documentary film with surreal imagery and the glossy, beautiful scenes from a fictional film on the brothers' lives (featuring masterful cameos from Jonathan Pryce, Jane Horrocks, Ken Russell as the director, and an entirely unexpected John Simm in a boat!). But the film is really carried on the shoulders of its wonderful performers.

The Treadaway twins are a rare and wonderful find, portraying the complex characters with great ease and believability. Harry Treadaway is wonderful as the frustrated Tom, but the real star of the show is Luke Treadaway's performance as Barry. Barry's confused mental state, loneliness, drug addiction and complete dependance on Tom is heartbreaking, and a real testament to Luke's ability as an actor.

The supporting cast are equally capable and mesmerising to watch. Tania Emery is deliciously hateful as Laura, being seen as manipulative and annoying, but unlike other strong-minded females in cinema, the adult Laura (Diana Kent) reveals her heart, and you believe that she really did love Tom. Sean Harris is brilliant as Nick, the manager, at once providing comic relief and being absolutely terrifying.

I'm trying so hard not to write "OMG BRYAN DICK WITH A BASS! *FLAIL*", but it's not just his acting which makes him a Strange Fruit favourite. The man is very pretty. Regardless of this, his character Paul is my favourite of the supporting characters. He's the only character who doesn't seem to have an ulterior motive, acting only out of love for the boys and love for music. His relationship with Barry is also intriguing. They have one kiss at the album launch party, which at first you'd dismiss it as drunkenness, and never explained. But if you watch again, and watch the way Paul acts around Barry, it's very likely they were together. It's nice that the film also features a relationship that isn't as in-your-face as Tom and Laura. Bryan Dick is, among many things, a master of subtlety. Or I'm reading too much into it, which is probably the case.

Of course, being a film about a rock band, the music is important to the film. Luckily for Brothers of the Head, it's one of very few film soundtacks I can listen to from start to finish without skipping. It's a wonderful slice of punk: anarchic, yet melodic. A bit like an angrier Buzzcocks, but weirder. All the music was performed by the actors (more "OMG BRYAN DICK WITH A BASS!" flailing), and Luke Treadaway has the perfect voice for the music. The soundtrack works wonderfully as an actual album or their fictional band The Bang Bang.

Finally, and most importantly, the issue of conjoined twins is never treated insensitively or stereotypically. Even though the twins are exploited within the film, Brothers of the Head works as a character study, firstly exploring Tom and Barry as people. Their disabiility is secondary to their personality, and coming from someone with a disabled flatmate, I can tell you that's the way it should be.

I went into Brothers of the Head thinking it would be a weird little film trying to be overly pretentious, and I'd spend most of it just watching tiny Bryan Dick being pretty and tiny. What I actually found was a mind-blowing piece of cinema, which desperately enters into the list of the best films I've ever seen at a respectable number 2. Well done, Brothers of the Head.