Twin Sisters (2002)
"De tweeling" (original title)

Twin Sisters is an epic love story based on the Dutch bestseller by Tessa de Loo that has been read by more than 3.5 million readers in Holland and Germany.

Director:

Ben Sombogaart

Writers:

Tessa de Loo (novel), Marieke van der Pol (screenplay)

Stars:

Ellen Vogel, Gudrun Okras, Thekla Reuten

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ellen Vogel	...	Lotte senior
Gudrun Okras	...	Anna senior
Thekla Reuten	...	Jonge Lotte
Nadja Uhl	...	Jonge Anna
Julia Koopmans	...	Kleine Lotte
Sina Richardt	...	Kleine Anna
Betty Schuurman	...	Moeder Rockanje
Jaap Spijkers	...	Vader Rockanje
Roman Knizka	...	Martin
Margarita Broich	...	Martha
Ingo Naujoks	...	Uncle Heinrich Bamberg
Barbara Auer	...	Charlotte
Jeroen Spitzenberger	...	David
Hans Somers	...	Bram
Hans Trentelman	...	Meneer De Vries

Storyline

1920s Germany. Two Sisters aged six years, no sooner see their remaining parent buried when they are torn apart. Lotte goes to live with her upper middle class Dutch aunt in Holland, Anna to work as a farm hand on her German uncle's rural farm. The story follows their lives as they try to reconcile their differences while World War II impacts each of them on their lives and finally in old age when they meet again, with the hope that the differences in their youth can finally be reconciled.

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Plot Keywords:

twins | epic | love | frontline | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

Verbonden Voor Het Leven, Gescheiden Tot De Dood. (Bound For Life, Separated Until Death.)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief sexuality and a scene of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [nl]

Country:

Netherlands Luxembourg

Language:

Dutch German English French

Release Date:

12 December 2002 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Twin sisters

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,207 (USA) (6 May 2005)

Gross:

$1,207 (USA) (6 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

IDTV Film, Samsa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Anna and Martin are seen wearing their wedding rings on their left hands. In Germany and Austria however, people wear them on their right hands.

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Connections

Featured in The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004)

User Reviews

Unidentical twins

Little prepares Lotte and Anna, twin sisters living happily with their beloved father, for what life had in store for them. After the girls' father dies, they are left alone at the mercy of relatives who separate them in an act of sheer cruelty. Lotte and Anna go through a lot in life, not knowing, at times, about one another, and spend most of their lives apart.

Lotte fares better of the two sisters. She was a frail girl growing up and her relatives dote on her since they regard her as an invalid. Lotte writes to Anna letters during the first years of being apart, but those letters are never sent. Anna, on the other hand, is made a slave, practically, as she is made to help in the family farm and is never given the opportunity to attend school until the kind priest discovers how she has been severely beaten.

The other encounter of the sisters occur too late in life. Lotte, who when first visits Anna at the place where she is employed as a maid, by a wealthy Nazi sympathizer, is appalled by the way Anna has turned out to be an anti Semite. This puts a barrier between them not to be broken until both are too old and too stubborn to recognize how wrong they both have been about the past. Their last reunion is a bitter experience, especially for Anna, who is in poor health.

This excellent Dutch film directed by Ben Sombogaart, is based on a novel by Tessa DeLoo, which was published in this country as "Twins", gets a magnificent treatment in a lavish production that covers several decades. The action is set in Holland and in Germany.

The basic reason for watching the film is the great acting the director got from Thekla Reutins and Nadja Uhl, who are seen as the young Lotte and Anna. Both these young actresses are perfect as the twins in their youth. Ellen Vogel and Gudrum Okras, on the other hand, are also effective as the older sisters have a final confrontation at a spa where both have gone for cures.

The film shows a talented director, Ben Bombogaart, doing an excellent job in this richly layered tale of sisterly love and missed opportunities.