Poto and Cabengo

Poto and Cabengo from 1979 is a captivating documentary directed by Jean-Pierre Gorin. Set apart from many other documentaries of the time, Gorin deliberately crafted the film in such a way as to challenge the conventional narrative style, opting for a unique, experimental approach, which can leave viewers in bewitching intrigue or profound confusion. The movie revolves around a highly unusual and fascinating reality of two twin girls, Grace and Virginia Kennedy, who had reportedly developed their own language that other people could not understand.

The film is a lucid, ethereal mix of mesmerizing and odd sequences of events that swirl around the lives of these twin girls. Shot primarily in San Diego, California, during the late 1970s, the documentary anchors itself in capturing the day-to-day lives of the twins, their family and the scientists who studied them. Scrutinizing the complex environments and familial relationships that might have contributed to the creation of this unique language, Poto and Cabengo explores the blending lines of human psychology, family dynamics, language development, and societal views.

While Virginia and Grace, aka Poto and Cabengo, are the central figures of the film, their parents and grandmother also play a role. Their mother Christine is a German immigrant, their father "Papa-san" is of Southern origin, and their grandmother is also from Germany. Their family dynamics reflect a fusion of different languages and influences, which might have contributed to an environment enabling the creation of a different language. Despite this home environment, the twins are mostly isolated from the outside world, which might have brought about their unique language development.

As the girls demonstrate their communication with each other, the researchers grapple with a diagnostic enigma while the audience is drawn into the mystic world of their language. Poto and Cabengo dives deep, presenting unique Dutch angle shots of the girls trying to decode their secret language - a perplexing mix of English, German, and entirely unique terms shared only between them.

These intimate and personal glimpses of their life are supplemented by extensive, evocative interviews, further plunging you into the curious world of Poto and Cabengo. The professionals featured - linguists, psychologists, and other researchers - provide their theories and interpretations of the twins' idiosyncratic language, which becomes a central factor as the film unfolds.

The filmmaker's approach to telling this unconventional story involves mixing different cinematic techniques and engaging audiences in a distinctly fresh, thought-provoking manner. Jean-Pierre Gorin's documentary style is so distinctive that you may feel compelled to watch the film more than once to completely grasp the complexity of the twins' life and unique language phenomenon.

The sound design and original music add another layer to this docu-drama's overall vibe. Sound, whether it's the dialogue between the girls or the background noise used, intensifies the film's texture and fosters a more immersive viewing experience. In many instances, Gorin intertwines the mimicking of childlike sounds and visuals to fabricate the perception of the girl’s communication.

Poto and Cabengo is a journey of discovery, not just of the twins' enchanting universe, but also regarding our perceptions of language as the cornerstone of human interaction. It braids together a fusion of themes: family, isolation, language and the human quest for understanding the unknown.

With an engaging rhythm and pacing, Gorin employs avant-garde techniques which layer the film with a dreamlike atmosphere. The documentary goes back and forth between the present reality and flashbacks, revealing tidbits of information at a time. The filmmaker uncovers fragments of the twins’ story piecemeal, presenting a cubist portrait of Poto and Cabengo that comes together to form an impressionistic multiverse, nurturing the viewer's curiosity until the very end.

In essence, Poto and Cabengo isn't a traditionally linear narrative but rather a poetic montage of impressions that collectively compose a cinematic mosaic - a counter-culture film that brilliantly portrays an unprecedented linguistic phenomenon and two human lives as an artistic and intellectual exploration. It is an intriguing project that reflects Jean-Pierre Gorin's unique and experimental approach to filmmaking, standing out as an intriguing testimony of visual anthropology.