Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 6
Year: 2020
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Kathryn Hahn, Melissa Leo, John Procaccino, Rosie O’Donnell, Juliette Lewis, Imogen Poots, Archie Panjabi, Bruce Greenwood
Description: Middle-aged Dominick Birdsey (Mark Ruffalo) recounts his troubled relationship with Thomas (also Mark Ruffalo), his paranoid schizophrenic twin brother, and his efforts to get him released from an asylum.
Review: If Mark Ruffalo doesn’t get an Emmy for this, I don’t know anymore. In the drama series “I Know This Much is True”, Ruffalo plays a double role.
The first episode of “I Know This Much is True” is a test whether this series is for you or not. This mini-series shows a lot of misery and misfortune and if you can’t handle that, skip it. The brothers Birdsey, both portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, don’t have a happy life.
We come to know that the twins never found out who their biological father is. Dominick and Thomas were raised by their mother and their harsh stepfather Ray. Thomas is schizophrenic and extremely paranoid, which dominate Dominick’s life and it always had a negative influence on his life. But a new low is reached when Thomas cuts off his hand in a library and he is send to a strictly guarded institution.
“I Know This Much is True” is based on a book, which was edited by director Derek Cianfrance, who is know for movies like “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines” (also not very happy stories). Cianfrance doesn’t hold back in showing everything the brother go through and that makes this drama very heavy. That’s why this series is not for everyone. But when you do sit through it, you are rewarded with a beautiful story.
The care for his brother has been a burden for Dominick all his life. And every time he wants to distance himself, it seems something bad happens. His marriage suffers from it as well.
But he is not alone. When he needs help, there are his ex Dessa, his best friend Leo, his brother’s doctor and even his stepfather. He also has a manuscript that was written by his late grandfather, that is being translated from Italian to English, where he tells the story of how he came to America. That way, Dominick tries to put all the pieces of his family history together. He hopes his depressing life will be given more meaning.
This is a series that you don’t let go easily. And you really need to sit down and focus for this in order the be able to take it all in. Mark Ruffalo is amazing. I can see that Ruffalo gave his all while portraying both the struggling Dominick and schizophrenic Thomas. You actually see two different people, instead of just seeing the same actor twice with a different look. This is a lesson in acting.
Trust me, don’t miss this series, if you can handle it.
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