Parents' Guide to Tell Me Who I Am

Movie NR 2019 85 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Barbara Shulgasser-Parker By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Intense docu about twin brothers has violence, cursing.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

TELL ME WHO I AM is a documentary based on a book of the same title by twin brothers who grew up privileged in a large home outside of London. The drama begins when, at 18, Alex Lewis has been sent into a coma by a brain injury sustained in a motorcycle accident. When he wakes in the hospital, the first person he sees is his twin, Marcus, whom he immediately recognizes. Apart from that familiar face, he remembers nothing, not his own name, his mother, his home, what a bicycle is, or that he lost his virginity to his girlfriend, another person he can't remember. Because he trusts his twin, Alex accepts Marcus' as a tour guide to their shared past and his descriptions of their lives, their parents, and their childhood. Their father is depicted as a vile, angry, and distant figure, and the mother a kooky social butterfly who made them laugh. After the death of both parents, the twins clear out the huge house and Alex first encounters sex toys and other indications that perhaps Marcus has been hiding something from him. In part two, Marcus explains his 30-year effort to save Alex from the anguish of remembering sexual abuse at the hands of their mother. In part three, the twins talk about healing themselves by sharing what they've been holding back for decades. Be advised that graphic descriptions of child sexual abuse follow.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

This documentary is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking. Director Ed Perkins recognized in the book Tell Me Who I Am by Alex and Marcus Lewis a horror story almost too strange and dramatically rich to be true. The sense of impending doom is skillfully established in Tell Me Who I Am's early moments -- a memory-wiping motorcycle accident is recalled, and a kindly brother helps his twin re-enter his forgotten life. But is the story he offers true? What is Marcus hiding from his brain-injured brother? This set of actual facts are ripe for actors and a fictionalized script, but it's unlikely that any other film about these two men could be better or more moving than this one. Because of its disturbing content this documentary is best for mature teens and up.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the influence of parents and siblings on the lives of kids. In what ways can you imagine that bad and destructive parents can harm their children for life?

  • Do you think it was kind of Marcus to keep the trauma of their past from his recovering brother? Why or why not?

  • The brothers in Tell Me Who I Am have reasons to be angry with each other. How important do you think it is to show forgiveness and acceptance in life? Why?

Movie Details

  • On DVD or streaming : October 18, 2019
  • Director : Ed Perkins
  • Studio : Netflix
  • Genre : Documentary
  • Run time : 85 minutes
  • MPAA rating : NR
  • Last updated : July 17, 2020

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