The first scene of Dead Ringers by Alice Birch is surprising. Suddenly, all of a sudden, the screenwriter behind the Lady Macbeth by William Oldroyd, but also the series Normal People and the second season of Successionspray the male gauze during an explosive introductory dialogue between Elliot and Beverly Mantle, the protagonists, and the somewhat perverse customer of a restaurant where they are seated. Between two pieces of a dripping hamburger, the Mantle sisters, remarkably played by Rachel Weisz (The favorite), we’ll get to that, engulf the cliché of the highly incestuous male fantasy of a threesome—a man with binoculars, of course. “I love putting my tongue in my sister’s mouth and sex just for the pleasure of men, for your pleasure”, launches in particular Beverly the deadpan to the latter. With Elliot, they delightfully ridicule him word after word, prank after prank. And then, Sweet Dreamsof Eurythmics resounds, some Machiavellian smiles are sketched. Let the ball begin.
Unlike the credits of the 1988 film of the same name by David Cronenberg, that of the first episode of the new Dead Ringers is undoubtedly more appropriate, three decades of changing mores having, hopefully, had its effect. Gynecological objects, represented as tools of torture that come from another time and from a narrow image of the medical specialty for a long time dominated by men, are succeeded by the miniaturization of an ultramodern birthing center in which women take care other women to the sound of Annie Lennox’s voice. From then on, the series promises to be very contemporary, both empowerment and feminist.
In 2023, Alice Birch brushes aside the backward-looking vision of the female body and what relates to it that David Cronenberg had offered. Remember that 35 years ago, the Toronto filmmaker chose to direct actor Jeremy Irons (The mystery von Bülow) for the roles of Elliot and Beverly Mantle. In his feature film, which nevertheless remains a reference of the genre body horror even today, these twin gynecologists at the head of a fertility clinic exchange their medical experiences at the limit of ethics just like their patients, who often turn into amorous conquests – one more phallocentric fantasy -, the whole under the guise of advancing science and the status of women. One of them, Claire Level, played by Quebecer Geneviève Bujold (Kamouraska), consults because of difficulties in procreating and receives the diagnosis of a trifurcated cervix… a “monstrosity” supposed in this regard to frighten the spectators at the time.
Thirty-five years later, rather than seeking to scare, the realities of motherhood and femininity are now shown on screen as they are, with stretch marks, menstruation blood, the physical and psychological pain of pregnancy. childbirth and postpartumetc., in a realism comparable to the scene of rape of the pregnant character of Claire Danes of the series Fleishman Is in Trouble. Moreover, the screenwriter of Dead Ringers also integrates into the story the hot topics of surrogacy and consent, for example. She also subtly points to the excesses of medical advances and the commodification of health thanks to the captivating secondary roles played by Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice) and Emily Meade (The 42e). We are also delighted to hear Beverly Mantle repeatedly affirm that “pregnancy is not a disease”, just to put things a little more in their place.
That being said, this rereading of Dead Ringers is nevertheless devoid of any overly moralizing look at the work of the director of Videodrome And Crash. On the contrary, the series retains certain narrative and aesthetic elements that made the film so successful, such as the equally twisted mind that Elliot and Beverly Mantle originally had. Whether it is composed of men or women, from 1988 or 2023, the famous duo very double trouble maintains an unhealthy relationship forged by insatiability, paranoia, lies, addictions, betrayal and lust. As for their practice in the operating theatre, it always takes place in almost papal outfits of chilling blood red… But failing to slip into graphic horror cinema, Alice Birch’s creation focuses preferably on the maze of the human mind.
How finally not to evoke more the performance of Rachel Weisz? As she plays identical twins, the British-American actress and producer impresses with the sophistication and eloquence of her portrayal of Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Rachel Weisz thus goes from a biting humor to restraint, from madness to defiance with a mastery that goes beyond that of Jeremy Irons. Because, make no mistake about it, it is she who seizes the public and keeps them spellbound until the very last moment of Dead Ringersthe ultimate turnaround that confirms that the series is well on its way to being one of the best this year.