True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

A younger Abby and Brittany ride
a bike as easily as one kid would.
At 16 they show off their two driver
liscenses, one for each.
By Advance Medical
Productions
2006, 50 min.
Available from
Figure 8 Films
figure8films.tv
Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16
OK, sure, I admit there is a base fascination with freaks. But conjoined twins, particularly this
pair who share one set of legs and arms, raise the curiosity in interesting directions: What does
it mean to be an individual? This pair’s unusual arrangement means that unlike many conjoined
twins, Abby and Brittany can do almost anything that a normal pair of twins might do. Except....
well, except there are two people in one body! Endless questions ensue from this documentary
about their suburban life. If each girl controls only one arm and one leg, how can they ride a
bike? Hit a baseball? Swim? When they drive a car, how do they decide where to turn? And do
they get one licence or two? That particular question is answered on their 16th birthday, as this
film follows them to the driving test center, where they pass the driving test (both turning the
wheel). Their local DMV decides to issue them each a licence. On school tests, some teachers
make each of them take the test – but they use both of their hands – and some allow them to
take it once. As 16-year-old girls, they are clearly very different personalities, and distinct people
sharing one frame. Despite their different tastes in fashions, they have to negotiate and cooperate
on what to wear in the morning, what to type when instant messaging (each controls one
hand), what to eat, and when to do — everything! The issues of identity and boundaries of self
are wobbly. When IM’ing the girls say “I” instead of “we”. But what happens when they date? Or,
even more mind boggling, marry? Most of these philosophical and medical questions are left
unasked. Their family is intent on not letting them become medical subjects or media celebrities,
so they have spent their lives in a very small town in Minnesota, going to high school and
trying to be as normal as one could be – if you have two heads. This film won’t scratch all the
itches provoked by this extreme form of embodiment. The filmmakers have been given exclusive
access to the pair, but it is obvious they are not pressing hard; they specialize in medical subjects.
The girls, their families, and the film aim to convey how “normal” they are. And yes, it is
amazing how humans will adapt to almost anything. But if you want extraordinary normal, if you
want hyperreal challenges to the self, if you want a prime example of transhumanism in action,
get this film.
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