There are times when one sits down to watch a film, having no idea what to expect, that can lead to the best kinds of surprises. Going into The Image of You, the only thing I really knew about the title was that Pretty Little Liars fan favorite Sasha Pieterse would be playing twins in an erotic thriller. The end result was nothing like I had ever anticipated going in, crammed with enough twists and turns to satiate fans of soap operas. Director Jeff Fisher knows what works onscreen—his focus on the female gaze takes full advantage of the eye candy that is Parker Young. Emulating the trashy vibe of a V.C. Andrews Lifetime adaptation, The Image of You titillates with an outrageously entertaining script and campy performances to boot.
Identical twins Anna and Zoe (Pieterse) could not be more polar opposite. Anna is soft-spoken and kind, whilst her sister Zoe comes across as more of a mean girl. Since birth, Anna and Zoe have been inseparable; over a breezy opening credits, twin imagery pops out. Even more curiously, one of the twins appears to have killed the other in cold blood. Forgetting all of that for just a moment, back in the present day, Zoe advises Anna to brush up her dating profile for any hopes of attracting a man. Rather than displaying her true age of thirty-one, Zoe urges Anna to say she’s twenty-nine. Lying, Zoe insists, is the foundation of every relationship.
Whatever the case, Zoe’s advice seems to actually have worked. In Anna’s first foray into the world of dating websites, she meets up in person with “Gus” on a date, who quickly discloses that Nick (Young) is actually his real name. Sparks fly right away between the two; a wonderfully speedy montage clues us in on the development of this relationship. Anna requests that Nick always be 100% honest with her, and anything beyond that will be a cakewalk. Several dates and a set of heart-shaped pancakes later, Anna and Nick cannot keep their hands off each other. Not even questioning motives for a second, Anna and Nick promptly become engaged, sending Zoe into a shocked tailspin. Zoe, protective over her sister, launches a full-on assault against Nick, using her body to try to expose his secrets. To no one’s surprise, the layers of shocks and surprises just keep piling on as The Image of You barrels towards an altogether eye-opening finale.
To get one thing out of the way: this is not a well made movie on really any level, but it is not trying to be some Oscar-winner, either. The overuse of split screen can be jarring, character motivations make little sense, and lapses in logic would frustrate if viewed seriously on any metric. Luckily, The Image Of You simply does not need to be over assessed, it just needs to be enjoyed. Taken at surface level, the charms are almost irresistible. Parker Young and Sasha Pieterse embrace one another with open arms, both literally and figuratively. Watching the two of them have so much fun together is almost contagious.
Tethered to its fiery leads, this film holds nothing back on the way to schlocky greatness. Sex scenes aplenty, sexy lingerie, and a most tasteful glimpse of bum align the feature with talking points. While Anna’s parents (Nestor Carbonell, Mira Sorvino) also factor into the plot, no one will be watching this for the familial unit. The showdown between twins keeps building, and the payoff is even better than expected. Come for the double trouble, stay for the raunchy cheesiness of a stellar erotic thriller.
The Image of You brings double trouble to Digital and select theaters on Friday, May 10th.
Awesome!
❤️❤️❤️