Early in 2016, at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Films, I attended the world premiere of a Mexican movie called "The Similars"/ "Los Parecidos". The writer and director, Isaac Ezban, was present at the event and explained to the audience that he has been a huge fan of "The Twilight Zone" since his childhood and that his latest film was intended as a giant homage to this fantastic Sci-Fi/Fantasy series. He definitely succeeded as far as I'm concerned, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend "The Similars" to all fans of old-fashioned science-fiction. It wasn't until I watched the episode "Mirror Image" that I learned that Ezban's film wasn't just a tribute to the series in general but that it was, in fact, almost entirely modeled after one episode in particular
this one! The eerie setting, the weather conditions, the main characters and their questionable mental state, the doppelganger premise
. "The Similars" isn't just a homage, it's an almost blatant imitation and my sympathy for Isaac Ezban already cooled down quite a lot. It's once again the genius Rod Serling who exclusively deserves all the credit, because he invented the entire franchise and he also penned down this uncanny episode with a non- stop ominous atmosphere and a nightmarish premise. On a rainy night at the bus station outside of New York, the lovable Millicent Barnes notices that her bus is already half an hour late. When she asks station clerk for an update, he replies her in an annoyed fashion that she shouldn't repeat the same question she already asked, even though she hasn't bothered him before! Also the toilet lady asks Millicent if she's feeling better than before, but she hasn't set a foot in the bathroom yet! Things go from bad to worse when Millicent also sees her luggage popping up in places she hasn't left it and – ultimately – when she sees herself (or at least someone who looks exactly like her) waiting on a bench with a sneer. Is this poor woman losing her mind or has she bumped into her doppelganger from a parallel universe? An ordeal such as this you can only face
in the Twilight Zone! This is a terrific episode from the hands of Rod Serling, and he also turned this into a very personal tale. The trivia section claims that the story was inspired by a personal real-life experience and all the city names that are mentioned inside the bus station (Binghamton, Syracuse
) are places where he either was born or grew up. Of course, the strength of "Mirror Image" isn't Serling's merit alone. John Brahm's direction is as impeccable as always. This was his fourth of twelve Twilight Zone episodes that he directed in total, and they all four belong to the better ones of the first season. I said it before and I'll say it again, Brahm is one of the most criminally underrated directors in history! Last but not least, Vera Miles also contributes a great deal to the powerful impact of "Mirror Image" with her integer and emotional – but definitely not hysterical – portrayal of Millicent.
Review of Mirror Image
