Rating: R
Genre:
Comedy Drama
Theatrical Release: 07/28/2006(USA
Release Date: 11/14/2006
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 93 Minutes
Flags: Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content
Distributor/Studio: IFC Films
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, All Movie Guide
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