Werner Herzog, a master of blending reality and fantasy, delivers another unique cinematic experience with “Bucking Fastard.” This film, loosely based on the real-life story of Yorkshire twins Freda and Greta Chaplin, explores themes of codependence, isolation, and the search for connection through the lens of two sheltered adults entering society for the first time. The result is a strange, wistful, and occasionally surreal drama that pays homage to David Lynch while offering a fantastical and ultimately worthwhile journey.
A Tale of Two Sisters
The film centers on Jean and Joan Holbrooke, played with captivating synchronicity by sisters Kate and Rooney Mara. Their parallel careers converge in this unusual role, where they portray American siblings raised in Ireland who find themselves on trial for stalking and harassing their suave neighbor, Mr. Mulroney (Orlando Bloom). The stakes are relatively low – a restraining order rather than criminal charges – allowing the story to unfold with mischievous hues as their obsessions play out in flashbacks.
Two things become immediately clear: the Mara sisters are a delight to watch together, delivering overlapping dialogue interspersed with knowing looks; and the Holbrookes possess a tragically incomplete understanding of the world. Their antiquated way of speaking, moving, and dressing obscures the film’s time period until an iPhone appears thirty minutes in, courtesy of a curious onlooker demanding a selfie. The real twins were subjects of their own documentaries, but Herzog circumvents a traditional biography, instead extrapolating the isolation that might have defined their lives as women so attuned to each other that they struggle to connect with the outside world. He imbues them with a naïveté that makes them vulnerable to men who may take advantage, creating uncertainty whenever they venture out. The film subtly explores how twin girls and women are often portrayed in pop culture – either as scary or salacious figures – and how the Holbrookes unknowingly grapple with these perceptions.
A Journey of Self-Discovery
Once the film moves beyond the trial and follows their attempts at independent living, it adopts a more subdued tone. While the film rarely delves into the details of their past, it instead reverse-engineers its drama from fleeting mentions of their complicated upbringing by parents who want little to do with them once their antics escalate to arson. The absence of love and acceptance looms over the Holbrookes, causing them to misunderstand their own feelings. They are, in a sense, alien – twin souls seeking connection but rejected by the world.
The film reaches its most poignant moments when they move to the lush Irish countryside. Their friendship with elderly shepherd McFarlane (Brendan Conroy) and visit to their ailing aunt Louise (Marion O’Dwyer) allows Jean and Joan to reflect on what they want from humanity. The answer isn’s always kind, but this setting offers poetic promises of escape via a local legend surrounding a nearby cave, sparking something deep within them.
A Bittersweet Farewell
The film possesses a bittersweet lust for life, evident in its still and painterly scenes interspersed with Herzog’s signature fish-eye close-ups and uncanny framing. While its eventual abstractions don’t quite achieve complete catharsis, Herzog’s gentle tragedy of two women cast out by the world veers between amusing and deeply touching, like an adult fairy tale about yearning for connection.
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Verdict
Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard” is a unique and thought-provoking film that remixes a real-life story into an episodic drama. Kate and Rooney Mara deliver captivating performances as impish synchronized sisters whose lovesick mischief gives way to melancholic adventure. While its surreal destinations don’t entirely click, the film’s wistful journey is worth experiencing.
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