Benji and Joshua, an animated Italian-Jewish pair of identical twins, are hard to tame. Both of have big plans for their 20th birthday. While a pool party looks unlikely, they finally want to have sex with a woman, with Benjamin being the more romantic of the two. The twins grow up in a loving home not far from Milan; after they finish school, they are initially faced with a lack of prospects however. Benji and Joshua are both mentally handicapped and spend most of their time with family and a group of Jewish youths. Director Valentina Bertani accompanies the two young men as they live their everyday lives, giving intimate insight into their dreams, zest for life, and also the frustration that results from being an outsider. During their joint military service in Israel, differences in character come to the surface. As with the eponymous crown shyness - with their canopy of leaves, trees keep a respectful distance from one another as they grow - Benji and Joshua also free themselves from each other. And yet their close brotherly bond will always endure.
Text: Kira Taszman
English: Peter Rickerby
At all screenings, except on 14.6., screenwriter Irene Annarosa Pollini Giolai will be present for a film talk after the film.
