25/08/2023 - Twin brothers and directors Raul and Romet Esko tell a very meta story of twin filmmakers who set out to make the world's best movie – about twins

Having dreamt of making films since their mother first bought them a video camera, twin brothers Raul and Romet Esko (aka Eskobros) have slowly been building up a reputation in the film industry of their native Estonia. Their short Struck by Lightning, a freewheeling and passionate documentary about the death of the rapper (and their friend) Mängupoi$$ Käru, was made under the auspices of the Tallinn-based Baltic Film and Media School. It would go on to win Best Short Film in the National Competition of the 2020 edition of PÖFF Shorts, the short-film section of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Their latest short – also showcased at Black Nights – was Double Turbo, an unashamed love letter to genre and Hollywood action, which garnered praise for its slick visuals and confirmed the duo as directors to watch.

In late July, filming began in Tallinn on their debut feature, Two of Me. The coming-of-age movie tells the story of twin filmmakers – played by the directors themselves – who set out to make the world's best film about twins, and is a gently comic and meta story of self-discovery that is inspired by real life.

“There are certain elements that we have experienced ourselves. It seemed to us that the more real it feels, the more we inject life into it. But yes, not everything is real,” said Raul Ekso.

“But maybe some parts will be left for the viewer to break down in terms of what might have been real and what was not,” added Romet.

“If someone thinks it's weird, then we're doing something right. We never want to do something ordinary, but rather something original that hasn't been done before,” concluded Raul.

In addition to the Eskobros, the film stars twin brothers Märt and Priit Pius alongside Rain Tolk, Mirtel Pohla, Reimo Sagor, Amand Hermiine Künnapas and Lil Till. The film is written and directed by Raul and Romet Esko, the cinematography is by Toomas Tatar, and it is being produced by Rain Rannu, Tõnu Hiielaid and Kirill Volkov.

Two of Me is being staged by Tallifornia, a leading Estonian indie production company founded by Rain Rannu and Tõnu Hiielaid that focuses on fast-paced, fun and auteur-driven feature films for a global audience. In 2021, Tallifornia also set up the first private film fund in Estonia that considers projects from all over the world (see the news).

The feature is co-financed by the Estonian Film Institute, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Tallifornia Film Fund. It will be released in 2024.