Watch Bucking Fastard First Look
Werner Herzog has a knack for finding the sublime in the strange, carving out a career dedicated to exploring the rich inner lives of society’s misfits. Now, in his latest fictional venture, he channels that fascination into a wonderfully peculiar dramedy centered on the complexities of twin identity in his film Bucking Fastard.
The film is built on the foundation of a fascinating real-life story involving the Yorkshire-born twin sisters Freda and Greta Chaplin. These sisters were remarkable for their synchronicity; they moved, dressed, and spoke in near perfect unison, a connection Herzog found deeply compelling, recalling that they were as coordinated as a Rorschach test ready to be folded in two at any moment.
Drawing inspiration from this unique bond, Herzog introduces the Holbrooke sisters, Jeanie and Joanie, who face their own peculiar challenges. Like their counterparts, the Holbrooke twins find themselves entangled in a shared predicament after becoming obsessed with their philandering neighbor, Mr. Mulroney. This shared mishap—involving a bit of lighthearted fence-removing and postbox arson—serves as the unexpected catalyst for the film’s truly curious journey.
Jeanie and Joanie’s relationship is defined by their shared rhythm. They speak almost entirely in unison and operate as a single unit, which often leads to wonderfully absurd practicalities, such as struggling to squeeze through a small gap while vacuuming. While these quirks provide plenty of comedic relief, Herzog deliberately refuses to let the viewer treat them as mere laughing stock.
Instead, the narrative settles into a deep, unexpected tenderness. The sisters are met not with judgment, but with genuine kindness. The locals of their small Irish town offer support, from a patient shop assistant who helps with buttons to a neighbor who provides a home, illustrating a profound sense of connection often missing in our current, often hostile world.
This compassion extends to their social worker, who relentlessly tries to help Jeanie and Joanie find ways to embrace their own autonomy. Yet, even with this support, the sisters still yearn for true peace. As their quest evolves, the film takes a fantastical turn, blurring the lines between reality and dream as the sisters fixate on digging their way toward a mythical land where they can finally find love.
The casting of Kate and Rooney Mara is essential to this story, as they embody two halves of a whole. Where many twin narratives focus on the desire to separate into distinct individuals, Bucking Fastard explores the powerful yearning for a single, unified entity. This exploration of internal harmony, set against the backdrop of external absurdity, results in a film that is both wonderfully unpredictable and undeniably sweet.
It is a masterful piece of filmmaking that zigs when the world expects it to zag, offering an impassioned ode to the oddball with warmth, reminding us that sometimes, the most profound truths are found in the wonderfully strange bonds we share.
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