User Reviews

The Two Irenes This is basically a coming of age drama done in an art house style. You have to suspend disbelief to accommodate the basic plot device that the husband could maintain two separate households in ignorance of each other only a short cycle ride apart for 13 years, fathering two girls at the same time and naming them both Irene. The first Irene is your stereotypical sulky, monosyllabic teenager. Her half sister is more developed both physically and socially. Sulky Irene secretly befriends the outgoing Irene, looking up to her as something of a role model. Much of the movie depicts, with languid pacing, the respectable home life of the first Irene. The rest of the movie is taken up with the developing friendship between the two girls. There are many lingering shots of them cycling together, rustling of leaves in the trees, etc. All very arty but do little to move the plot forward. Likewise the first Irene's older sister and the recurring story of her prom gown. The film ends on something of a cliffhanger leaving you wondering what might have happened next. Pleasant enough but not one to warrant repeat viewing.