More than likely than not, the cast of “The Skeleton Twins” will be looked over in the new year when Oscar nominations are announced.
Given that true greatness only sporadically penetrates the awards season mania, this will not be a surprise, as Bill Hader and Kristen Wigg’s raw, unassuming authenticity in this film is very far removed from the comforting normalcy more frequently heralded by Hollywood. Even though there’s a great deal in common with this film and the awards favorite “Little Miss Sunshine,” but “The Skeleton Twins” is both darker and deeper, and funnier, beholden more to the messy complications and life than the audience-pleasing rules of screenwriting courses.
A number of the important details of the very minimal plot of “The Skeleton Twins” are not revealed until late in the film, a choice that makes their impact more genuine, whereas otherwise they would have likely felt contrived. The basics are established up front: after writing a brief farewell note, Milo (Bill Hader) unsuccessfully attempts suicide, after which he accepts his sister Maggie’s invitation to stay with her and her husband Lance (Luke Wilson) during his recovery, despite their having not spoken for a full decade. What he doesn’t know at first is that his sister is similarly depressed and aimless; before long, we learn that their father also took his own life, a tragedy that hangs over both of them, stoked by an unfortunate encounter with their estranged mother.
Hader and Wiig’s comedic chops prove key to the intimacy of their performances. For them, laughter is a tool, and there may be no acting moment more perfectly calibrated this year than an impromptu karaoke session one character uses to disarm the other. If comedy equals tragedy plus time, “The Skeleton Twins” is most impressive in its sense of the latter, evoking its character’s memories and the weight of the expectations of the past on the present. Writer-director Craig Johnson bluntly presents these souls to us, free of judgment, and asks us to come to our own conclusions.
The soft cinematography, with muted colors that suggest something down to earth, lends the film a quotidian quality that border s on universal. These characters are confused, conflicted, and barely know which way is up, and their station in life is far from uncommon. This portrait of depression as a living, common thing is both sobering and empowering, and all the more necessary and poignant in the year that saw the loss of Robin Williams to a disease that’s still invisible to many.
Typical of its generosity, the film is wholly inclusive in its world view, lending authenticity and humanity to characters many films wouldn’t even acknowledge. The script asks that we parse through the details of what’s right and wrong, sometimes in the face of what is lawful and/or commonly believed, while it also refuses to provide the kind of closure we might want, particularly given how warm the film is to its characters. Even Lance’s character – the type who would be presented as a schmuck in most movies – is granted his own basic decency and respect. As far as dark comedies go, “The Skeleton Twins” is sublime in its authenticity.
“The Skeleton Twins” will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and various On Demand outlets on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Robert Humanick is a contributing writer for slantmagazine.com Follow Rob on Twitter @rhumanick
