“…a beautiful and funny film that tackles the tragic subject of suicide in a tastefully-entertaining way.”

As we go through life, we begin to understand how tenuous relationships can be. For siblings, we grow up together, often sharing in the same family moments, both the good and the bad. On top of that, growing up in the same household means being around each other, doing things together, and shaping the people each of us becomes. For twins, this bond is even stronger, as they literally share everything from their birthday to major milestones in life. However, even the closest of siblings can grow apart, but for twins, that deep bond will always be there. The Skeleton Twins (directed by Craig Johnson, 2014) is a beautiful and funny film that tackles the tragic subject of suicide in a tastefully-entertaining way. It’s an emotional dramedy weighted down with a sense of hopelessness, making for a bleak tone that is, however, well-balanced by fun characters who are better when they’re together.

The Skeleton Twins doesn’t mess around, and it hits you right out of the gate with a harsh scene in which we meet Milo Dean (played by Bill Hader). After he scratches out his suicide note on a used envelope, turns his music up, and taps goodbye to his goldfish, we witness him sink into a filled bathtub that soon becomes colored red with the blood from his slashed wrists. While somewhat jarring by how shocking this is, don’t let it deter you from watching further. The film then cuts to Milo’s sister Maggie Dean (played by Kristen Wiig) staring at a handful of pills, psyching herself up to do herself in. However, she gets interrupted by a phone call delivering the news of her twin brother’s attempted suicide. After 10 years without so much as speaking to one another, Maggie brings Milo home to stay with her and her husband Lance (played by Luke Wilson). As the two recall their own father’s suicide, they also begin to get to the root of their problems, even though Maggie is in denial about having any problems herself. As they adjust to being back together again, they will lean on each other for support and advice as they work through their own feelings of hopelessness and depression while also having some long-overdue fun they’ve been missing from their lives.

Don’t let the fact that the name itself implies horror movie, like The Skeleton Key or The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, keep you from giving this film a chance. Independent films sure do like unique and odd names…just look at Cake. What The Skeleton Twins manages to do is calculated and impressive. The film takes two, well-known actors in the comedy world and casts aside their typical roles in exchange for serious, heavy-handedly drawn characters with dramatic flair. Bill Hader has recently starred in Trainwreck alongside Amy Schumer, and has also done voiceover work for the film Inside Out and some other animated series. Watching him now play a suicidal, homosexual twin brother struggling with depression and his inability to make it in the acting world is an absolute treat. Seeing him in more dynamic roles as this one will hopefully open the door to more complicated roles in the future. Likewise, Kristen Wiig has comedies such as Bridesmaids and (to hit theaters in October of this year) Masterminds under her belt. Seeing her play a restless, unhappy housewife who becomes alive again when reunited with her brother goes to show how well-rounded of an actress she really is.

The Skeleton Twins is rich and quirky, dark, but also light-hearted despite its serious subject matter. It paints a realistic picture of the powerful effect a suicide of a family member can have on those it leaves behind. While suicide isn’t a laughing matter, the need to laugh off more serious issues is something any one of us can understand, especially when we have to face those we love head on. As the characters focus on death, the film itself celebrates the strong connection between siblings haunted by the same past. The fact that they both decide to commit suicide on the same day (which sure, works perfectly for the movie), is actually not so farfetched with twins. There have been real life incidents where one twin may have experienced physical pain when their sibling has gone into labor and other incidents where a set of twins purchased the same exact pair of jeans on the same day in the same style and color. This film shows the pair separated with both time and distance, but more miserable than they’ve ever been. As they reunite, they begin to light up from the effect they have on each other, and that is refreshing enough to lift the film above the bleak discussions of suicide. For me, I felt this film easily deserves a 9/10, and I can see myself watching this again sometime soon.