rpn313 Found this movie by accident after watching "Coherence" and looking for other titles featuring the gorgeous Emily Foxler (Baldoni). And while she looked amazing in this film, I had to ask myself at the end, was it really worth wasting 1.5 hours of your life for? I'm still debating. Because despite Emily being pure eye candy (and she actually did a decent job given the material she had to work with)... this movie is a slow root canal with no anesthesia. It starts with an interesting premise, sort of, but just progressively devolves into a drawn out boring mess.What in the world is Ed Asner doing in a film like this? Is he that hard up for work?

bridgetodistribution Review of Daniel Bollag's "Identical" by Stefanos SitarasIdentical is a movie that will surprise you, on many levels. Every 10 minutes or so, there's a disturbance of some kind, an unexpected event, which thwarts all pre-existing narrative trajectory out of orbit, spiraling viewers into a realm of uncertainty and continuing fascination. It's fresh, artful, complex, dark and twisted, and yet, wholesomely entertaining. Be prepared for an intense experience, with powerhouse performances, intelligent twists and turns, a riveting sense of unease and suspense, with well-rounded character work that gives this whole psychological labyrinth a hue of truth and humanity. It is an independent film that sets example and offers encouragement to all us aspiring indie-filmmakers; no matter the circumstance, the difficulties, or the limitations, with a good enough story, a first-rate cast and a vigorous vision, it's all possible.Writing this review is doubly beguiling for me, both as a member of the audience and a filmmaker myself. I came out of the theater completely satisfied. "Identical" takes you on a dark and complex ride of identity, betrayal, and sibling rivalry. The premise of the movie sets the tone and intricacy of the narrative by itself: two identical twin brothers fall for the same woman. But of course, it's so, so much more than that. It's a morality tale about identity, obsession, greed, redemption, and reality. Two identical twin brothers are born, and, to keep in touch with the whole mythology of it, one is good and one is evil. The film begins with a gorgeous prologue sequence that sets the film's tone, and the narrative's main conflict. Young actor Aaron Refvem is pitch-perfect in embodying both personalities, making the prologue one of the film's strongest segments. Keep this name in mind, you'll be hearing great things about this kid very very soon, I'm sure of it.The children grow up to become adult versions of themselves. The dynamic stays the same, and the mythology of the prologue residues on the entire story. The evil brother, Mark, is a ruthless businessman whose world of deceit and corruption is on the brink of collapse, and he will fight for it till the end, exposing the most sinister sides of his personality. Richard is the good brother, who, despite his well-heartiness and benevolence, is a lost soul. He is an artist and a wanderer, a poet and a lover. Truly, no words can adequately praise John Togo's performance as both brothers. He is simply breathtaking in every single frame he's in, and thank God, he's in almost every one. Not only is he wholesomely convincing as both characters, but he goes above and beyond that. He becomes two people so seamlessly that, not for a single moment was there a doubt in my mind as to who I was watching at any given scene. It's an award-worthy tour-DOE- force performance, and Togo becomes a leading man of such cinematic proportion, that he makes the film completely irresistible, despite its psychological labyrinth and attention- demanding plot, one that will challenge you to question reality as you can't take your eyes off screen. Of course, there are many other things besides Togo that you can't take your eyes off.Chief among them, the beautiful, elegant, and 21-st century femme-fatal Emily Foxler, who is outstanding as Shelly, Mark's secretary, who both brothers inevitably fall in love with. She is entirely lovable from the first scene she's in. In a way, she plays two characters in her own right. With Mark, she is composed, chic, elegant, and serious, all the traits of a secret-affair-secretary who knows her place. Richard, the good twin, is able to charm that facade away, which is incredibly audience-satisfying, because, through identification (no pun intended) we feel like we are flirting our way into her heart and true personality as well. And once that side of her is out in the open, we want to see it again, hence we root for that relationship to continue. She is an incredible actress, in full control of her body-language and facial expression. Watch her eyes as she performs.. Fixed and cold when she is with Mark, playful and full of life when with Richard. Shelly is funny, cute, entirely lovable, and of course, the starting point of a love triangle that propels all characters into a quandary, one which is impossible to speak of without spoiling the movie, so, if you want to know what happens next, you'll have to watch it.

iampandora First problem I had with this movie was that they set it in a Jewish neighborhood that was very clearly Hasidic and when the mother gave birth they allowed it to happen on the sidewalk AND random men were touching her. Men and Women in Hasidic culture are not allowed to touch in public even if you know them, even your husband. The Second problem I had was how slow it was. The Third problem I had was the TERRIBLE acting. Jonathan Togo was all over the map and not in the way his character was written but his acting would be good in one scene and bad in the next or worse in some scenes one moment was good and the rest bad. Emily Foxler should find another profession all together, she was just embarrassing to watch...Lifetime shouldn't even hire her. And my Fourth and biggest problem was the terrible writing and plot. Daniel and Yumiko Bollag ripped off parts of Face Off, Fight Club,The Omen and several other movies slapped on some "Jewish" beginning and said let's see if anyone is stupid enough to watch this. Which unfortunately I was. Do yourself and the world a favor and break all copies you find of this film. Bollag's you now owe me 2 hours of my life, the 1.20 I payed at redbox and 24 trillion in emotional damages. You also owe royalties to A LOT of people.

nightingaleron It is always very awkward doing a review on a movie based on a novel. The novel, or book will always take precedence. In this case, - well- this movie had me reeling from one minute to the next..Still very hard to explain that without giving the whole story or a spoiler. It is very well done and i like the fact that is not cheaply done in a one room or on stage production. (not that i don't like that in the right context) . Plenty of light and open air filming.The story about one mans fight within himself sort of sums this up. Well worth the watch if you have the time to absorb the story. If you are looking for- Action - not a lot here. More for the people looking to solve and absorb.