A short documentary about twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, The Silent Twin: Without My Shadow features the surviving twin, doctors, and original footage from a time where the girls were locked in a curious toxic battle of silence and conflict.
I recently watched and reviewed the film The Silent Twins, a fictional accounting of June and Jennifer Gibbons’ lives together. It was good, but afterward, I went on a deep dive to learn more about the real lives of these girls. After a bit of digging, I found this short documentary that provides a lot more in-depth information.
The Silent Twin: Without My Shadow covers the early lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twin daughters to immigrants in Wales who ultimately only engaged with each other and took to being completely silent and detached when approached by anyone else. They locked themselves in their bedroom for years, where they wrote short stories and novels, and ultimately climbed out of their window to participate with some local boys and later got committed to a mental health facility for committing arson. Investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace wrote a book about them called The Silent Twins, which garnered attention for the story and led to the 2022 film.
This BBC documentary includes much more detailed information than the 2022 film. Featuring a lot of 1994 footage of June talking about her and Jennifer’s experiences (including their reasoning behind agreeing to go to a facility and how they tried to kill each other) it is fascinating to hear what they lived through in her own words.
Right from the beginning, June explains that because the girls had a speech impediment, it was difficult for people to understand them, although they could communicate with each other perfectly. They would constantly be asked to repeat themselves, which they eventually got tired of, so they just stopped talking. Then it became a habit.
Their lives were challenging as young girls in Wales because they felt that they couldn’t eat and drink in front of other people, so to do so at school was difficult. There is footage of them eating very slowly, moving their arms at the same time. They were also the only black children, so they felt unrelated to everyone else in many ways.
There is also much discussion about how the twins felt that there should have been only one of them born. They found “life unbearable together and unbearable apart.” They wanted to be separated and wrote about it in letters – saying they’d be normal if they were – but they were in a constant battle for both outcomes.
There are lots of original photos, video footage, and audio footage along with interviews and a visit to Jennifer’s grave in this documentary. And while the fictional film feels like a story someone is telling, this film helps you understand the trauma and sadness that the twins lived through. No one knew what to do for them, including their parents, and it was the death of Jennifer that ultimately broke the cycle. What a story.
Runtime: 53 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated (but I would say PG)
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: Free on YouTube, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I recently watched and reviewed the film The Silent Twins, a fictional accounting of June and Jennifer Gibbons’ lives together. It was good, but afterward, I went on a deep dive to learn more about the real lives of these girls. After a bit of digging, I found this short documentary that provides a lot more in-depth information.
