Institute History
Description
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Living separate lives on opposite sides of the country, estranged siblings Maggie and Milo are at the end of their ropes. But after a moment of crisis reunites them, Milo goes to spend time with Maggie in the small New York town where they grew up. A dental hygienist, Maggie struggles with her unhappy marriage to the painfully good-natured Lance, while Milo tracks down Rich, the English teacher with whom he shares a checkered past. Adrift and wondering how they ended up so far from who they were supposed to be, the siblings try to patch things up.
Craig Johnson’s second feature sensitively explores these lives of quiet desperation with remarkable finesse. It unfolds a rich backstory through subtle interactions between its characters and finds the agility to be funny, melancholic, touching, and devastating within the space of a single scene. Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader give astonishing, dramatic performances. Their connection to the characters and to each other is magical…and funny (Maggie cleaning Milo’s teeth proves that nothing promotes sibling reconciliation like nitrous oxide).
The twins’ father once told them to stick together no matter what. The Skeleton Twins is about discovering what that means.