The Twinning Reaction

Description

Hearts, Minds and Souls Award Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival

Best Documentary Jersey Shore Film Festival

Official Selection
Cinequest
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Rochester Jewish Film Festival
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Virginia Film Festival
LA Femme Int’l Film Festival

Synopsis

THE TWINNING REACTION examines the profound human toll of a tragically failed research experiment in the 1960s. The Neubauer-Bernard study involved the separation of identical twins and triplets during infancy in a misguided attempt to understand nature versus nurture. Legally and ethically dubious at the time, and monstrous by today’s standards, the long-term effects of the study on the children were dramatic and often heartbreaking. THE TWINNING REACTION tells the stories of four sets of identical twins and triplets who were separated by the Louise Wise Services adoption agency with the support of NYC based Jewish Family Services. Some of these twins and triplets have reunited by sheer luck, others through the filmmaker’s years of research. In searching for answers, this inside look at the consequences of medical arrogance finally gives voice to those who suffered the broken bond of twinship.

Director

Lori Shinseki has worked in documentary film for over twenty years, and The Twinning Reaction is her directorial debut. Shinseki co-produced HBO’s Wartorn 1861-2010, a film about combat trauma from the Civil War to present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also co-produced and served as associate producer on a number of documentaries for PBS’ FRONTLINE series, as well as on PBS programs produced by journalist Bill Moyers. Shinseki is a graduate of Duke University and Stanford University. She lives in Charlottesville, VA with her husband Tim Heaphy and their three kids.