ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

It may be a mockumentary, but there's little to laugh about in Brothers Of The Head. More Velvet Goldmine than This Is Spinal Tap, it's the po-faced tale of two conjoined twins (Harry and Luke Treadaway) who become pop-punk idols in 70s Britain. The performances are fine, the period detail is authentic - hell, even the songs are pretty good. But there's small chance for these joined-at-the-sternum siblings to grow on you, even as their story spirals towards tragedy.

Lack of humour isn't the only flaw. We've seen this rise-and-fall narrative many times before, whether in movies or music documentaries. Sure, having it played out by Siamese twins adds originality, but ultimately Brothers boils down to your typical trawl through booze, bickering and bird trouble. The woman who comes between these inseparable boys is rock journo Laura (Tania Emery), who falls for Tom (Harry Treadaway), the gentler of the two. Still, he and the brasher Barry (Luke Treadaway) continue to record and perform as their band The Bang Bang, who swiftly go from novelty act to cult commodity.

"THERE'S NOT MUCH EMOTION, PERIOD"

The pub gigs they play are little short of electrifying. Moreover, the snarling, snotty attitude the lads project saves us from the schmaltz of other conjoined-twins flicks like Stuck On You or Twin Falls Idaho. Mind you, there's not much emotion, period. Co-directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost In La Mancha) have a gift for making fake footage look like the real deal. But they're not so hot when it comes to simulating human drama.