Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKWApOAG2g
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 one
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 one controls each 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.
http://www.truefilms.com/archives/2007/08/joined_for_life_1.php
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