After immersing myself in a thriller, I usually remind myself that it was all a load of fiction to ensure a peaceful night’s sleep.
But the most horrifying thing about Netflix‘s Tell Me Who I Am is that it’s a true story, one narrated by the twin brothers who experienced the shocking tale first-hand.
The 1hr 25minute long documentary tells the story of Alex Lewis, a London boy who lost his memory after a motorbike accident at 18. After waking up from a three-month coma, the only thing he could remember is the face of his twin brother Lucas: the man who he had no choice but to put all of his trust in.
Relying on his brother to help him recover his sense of self, Alex built his identity upon the memories his brother shared with him. But Lucas made a controversial decision to try and protect his brother – he decided to leave out the parts about their abusive childhood.
“Twelve years after first learning of the abuse, Alex demands Marcus to tell him the whole truth of what happened to them for the documentary, which wasn’t discussed in their memoir” – Netflix
The Netflix show – which shares the name with the autobiography written by twins – reminds viewers that the truth will always come out; as when their mother passed away, Alex finally learnt about his dark past. In the Netflix film, he reveals that he found naked photos of himself and his brother in his mother’s room, photos which had their heads cut off.
“It played out like a psychological thriller. And yet it was true. I was fascinated by the themes of brotherhood, the blurring of fact and fiction, memory and the question of who we are if we lose our memory.” – director Ed Perkins in conversation with TIME
The show continues to document how Alex confronted Lucas about the pictures, who confirmed his brother’s suspicions about their sexually-abusive childhood. And after Lucas refused to go into detail about their dark past, Alex felt betrayed by his brother and struggled to come to terms with his life that was built upon a foundation of lies.
Revealing things on camera that have never been spoken aloud before, Lucas and Alex’s story proves to be a difficult but important watch. There’s power in speaking out about your deepest, darkest secrets.
Here’s what Twitter is saying about Netflix’s ‘Tell Me Who I Am’ documentary…
Director Ed Perkins told TIME: “It played out like a psychological thriller. And yet it was true.
“I was fascinated by the themes of brotherhood, the blurring of fact and fiction, memory and the question of who we are if we lose our memory.”
This is a seriously dark one.
Tell Me Who I Am is available to watch on Netflix right now.
