X TO X | Omeleto

A woman reaches out to her twin.
X TO X is used with permission from Lily Gwynne-Thomas. Learn more at / lil.gwynneth .
Jeanie is a young housewife living in Texas, stuck in an unhappy marriage. Her husband is a mean drunk, and she has no other prospects. Desperate, she reaches out to her newly discovered twin, Layla, who is by contrast a rising film star in the U.K.
Though they look alike, the two could not be any more different. Layla is polished, reserved and successful; Jeanie is anxious, downtrodden and unhappy. But Jeanie hopes somehow that Layla will help her escape her life in some way. But when Layla isn't what she seems, Jeanie must find another way to reinvent her life.
Directed and written by Lily Gwynne-Thomas, this short dramatic thriller is a gripping meditation on identity, escape and who or what determines worth, told through a story of a woman seeking to escape the life she's found herself in. It sets up its noir-like bona fides early on, melding both the aesthetics of classic, weathered Southern Americana with ominously portentous film noir, complete with a sinister stranger lurking in the background, the potential for a double cross handing over the action and desperately urgent circumstances.
The storytelling opens with Jeanie waiting in a bar before nervously leaving a message for Layla to check in. But Jeanie also fields a call from her mother and then her husband, whom she has fled. Her husband is angry, and he threatens to come and get her. Jeanie, though, hopes to connect with Layla, in hopes of somehow escaping with her and getting a start on a new life, and she's arranged a meeting to meet for the first time. Right away the darkly compelling writing sets up a hidden pressure cooker of a situation, known only to Jeanie and rendered in a moody, noirish sense of light.
When Layla enters the picture, she comes in knowing little about her twin. And it's clear, right away, that Layla has little desire to know Jeanie. Elegant, just a bit haughty and busy with an important career, Layla is everything Jeanie is not. Actor Tanya Reynolds -- who might be familiar to audiences from shows and movies like Sex Education and Emma -- anchors the film as both Jeanie and Layla, offering a marvelously supple, compelling performance as the identical twins with radically different lives.
Through the performance and the predicament that the twins find themselves in, X TO X explores fascinating questions of the intersection of identity, upbringing and background. As Jeanie is confronted with Layla's presence, she and the audience can't help but wonder how different life would be if she had grown up elsewhere. When Layla presents an agenda of her own to Jeanie with a brutal matter-of-factness, Jeanie finds herself once again relegated to the margins of life. But knowing that there is a different way out there, Jeanie sees a chance to get the life she wants for herself, leaving her past and her baggage behind.

[@HopefulMathGirl]

Tanya Reynolds- loved her in "Everybody Dies Sometimes".

[@eugenetswong]

For people who don't know: that film was also on Omeleto; about 2 months ago. I would have had a tough time recognizing her, if MathGirl didn't point her out. Thank you, MathGirl!

[@HopefulMathGirl]

@@eugenetswong Thanks Eugen. You seem to be very interested in Omeleto, that's cool.

[@eugenetswong]

@@HopefulMathGirl You're welcome. Thank you. I enjoy watching these, only because I'm supporting the creators. I usually don't like the films, and I end up complaining. hahaha 😀

[@HopefulMathGirl]

@@eugenetswong Why do you support the creators?

[@eugenetswong]

@@HopefulMathGirl I want to write a story, and then turn it into a film. When I see these people being successful, I am happy for them. I already perform in the film industry.

[@lukebravin]

Tanya is great to see, I really want to see her career shoot to the stars she was great playing both characters here

[@rang_utan]

she is so talented!

[@Ma1ne2]

Oh man, the moment I realised what's about to happen ... such a good short film! Great acting, great setup!

[@SimonBone-hb9kw]

Wow! You put so much into such a short film! Great twist. Superb performance from Tanya Reynolds. Lighting, direction and set all superb. Great music too! Well done Lily Gwynne-Thomas.

[@caspiansfriend]

amazing! Tanya Reynolds was great, as usual!!

[@IvyKittie]

I LOVE the music near the end!! Love the crescendo ❤❤❤

[@badgerspawn2011]

Witty and clever. A great short film. Love the story and the pace. Tanya Reynolds is fabulous. Story, set, lighting all fantastic.

[@ricrandmfx]

There's some messed up situations going on throughout this short film. Interesting plot, good acting. Somehow, I felt uncomfortable watching it & intrigued at the same time. Can't help but wonder what happens afterwards.....

[@willsell456]

The song slowing down at 8:13 was right on point with the mood. I noticed the music kicked up a bit just before that moment. I like the color gradient nice and dystopianish looking. I liked the 180° rule break and the close-up shots with the foley. Good stuff.

[@ImaanHusain]

Incredible work! Tanya is amazing too - loved watching every second of this!

[@l.dgffgztghhu6444]

6 am here, 2nd. Coffee ready, greetings from Germany ✌️.

[@DerOpa.]

Meine Kaffeekanne hat oben in der Mitte ein Loch für einen Strohhalm.

[@tobe-you-tube6612]

😳

[@cheebacheeobusiness3893]

Did you mean second joint? 😁

[@vivadevega]

Dammmmnnn 15 minutes to change your life.

[@oldfartdon]

Very creative beautifully made film!! Well done!

[@salvatorefolisi3102]

Incredible twist ending! The famous sister gets her just deserts!

[@natureboytom]

GENIUS, That was Genius!💕💪

[@boots1256]

This was good. Talented actress. Always love seeing quality duality role...unless she really does have an identical twin ❤

[@revilo1340]

i feel like this could be the start to a full length film...idk

[@trevorwilliams3501]

There was a series way back called "Ringer". Sarah Michelle Gellar played a pair of twins. One was rich. The other was a stripper in witness protection. The stripper ended up posing as the rich sister and taking over her life. It was pretty good, but it only lasted one season and ended on a cliffhanger.

[@ElaineThomas-so5md]

I love this, it's so thought provoking, with a brilliant twist. Tanya Reynolds is so good! Watch it!

[@michaelthomas4982]

An interesting and well made film with a lot more to it than first appears. I'm watching again.

[@lylithnyx]

Captivating, thought provoking and beautifully made. Absolutely amazing work.

[@marshabass3393]

Incredible acting!

[@justinklenk]

Oh - that was good. (Unexpectedly so.) Despite the fact that it wouldn't work when it played out in their real situation, beyond this one day - just the idea of the twist possibility was cool. 👍

[@michaelmaultsby895]

Wonderful, well done. Thank you!

[@ManicHams]

The music choice is perfect, really helps build the atmosphere and tension, great film 👍

[@keithpennington8259]

So, how does she get away with it?

[@shuarms]

Amazing! Love this. Props to everyone involved.

[@Pray-g6m]

Nice

[@terriarheghan3676]

Well done!👍🏽❤️🎬

[@1solo92]

Second time watching this! Just as captivating as the first time 🤩

[@clasencoach]

Wonderful acting. Especially at the turning point at 7:15. Or at least I thought that was the turning point but then a different twist was added. An absolutely horrifying one. The last few seconds with the men should have been left out though. It has a much stronger effect to actually not see them. By the way, Jeanie is not going to get far before her accent will reveal her. Tanya Reynolds is a wonderful actress. Funny, I was certain I had seen her before, but looking through her filmography there is nothing there I have watched 🤔

[@pauldavey]

Wooh that was great, Superb ending and great acting.

[@laurabenson1278]

That was excellent.

[@shiao3990]

The acting is amazing!

[@abraxasjinx5207]

My only question is why doesn't Frank recognize her?

[@roscluaran]

Loved this. Brilliant film. 🤩

[@Control-Alt-Delete619]

It's a crazy world, I just live in it. 🌎🍻🇺🇲

[@panagiotaapostolou3955]

Superb❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@micknordstrom2591]

Excellent!

[@azaelia2000]

Lesson : Dont ever accept a drink from strangers.

[@mhammer5]

What did that guy put in her drink?

[@MorningIce]

Wowwow😮

[@ShayMac311]

💚🍿

[@davidtuman]

first time watching it i thought her reaction to seeing the drink drugged was fear for her own safety - on second viewing i feel like she and cowboy were in on the plot and her reaction was more like "oh man, it's really happening"

[@Koofumhead]

Atfer the 2nd watch, I can't explain why the drink was brought from the direction of the restrooms, and not the bar. Also the cowboy hat wearer and the threatening husband could be red herring type characters. Maybe she has a history of stuff that justified the aggressive phonecall. Maybe the actress is having a terrible time (you know Hollywood stuff) and wanted to spare her twin.

[@valoliphant1107]

Not twin, X

[@seanjackson4228]

Come on, really???? The ending was completely foreshadowed.....smh.....

[@shanta-x5y]

Too much happening...woah.

[@mlbonfox8199]

I don’t get it…

[@crow_feather]

The two were doppelgangers of each other...possibly even twin sisters, though I'd have to go back and watch the film again to be sure. The one in the red leather jacket was a famous Hollywood star, the other a small town girl being chased by an extremely scary, abusive man (presumably the heavyset man in the white shirt that went into the bathroom in the end). In order to escape her current life, the small town girl allowed the Hollywood star to be drugged by whatever was placed in the drink by the man in the cowboy hat. Then, after the Hollywood star excused herself to go to the bathroom, the small town girl went into the bathroom, swapped clothes with the Hollywood star, and took off for her new life as a Hollywood star, leaving the Hollywood star behind in her clothes, to live her life as a small town girl...presuming she ever woke up from what she was drugged from. Does that help?

[@eugenetswong]

@@crow_feather I honestly thought that they would have clarified the specifics of the relationship, and that I just missed the details. I guess not. Thanks for spelling it out for us.

[@eugenetswong]

@@crow_feather Maybe type into a text app, and then post it in chunks, until you find the "offending" piece of text. No matter what you have my sympathies and thanks.

[@tezugrg9627]

​@@crow_feathertq for sharing a story means a lot

[@jen204]

@@eugenetswong "A housewife reaches out to her estranged twin in a desperate attempt for a better life."

[@paulwright8378]

You have already shown us this one

[@dplj4428]

She rxpects person on phone to mistakenly kill the visiting sister. 11:00?

[@cryler29]

Did she killer her sister ???

[@CJ-77]

No, she let her die.

[@MTCali70]

I thought they were twins..

[@MTCali70]

@@CJ-77 so the drink was poisoned..yeah..

[@gemstar7286]

​@@MTCali70 Looked like twins ,but maybe dopple gangers .