Twice Today is a universal story with emotions people all over the world can understand. As we'd like to portray our lives as perfect, the undercoating of drama and problems finds it's way through anyone's reflection. Our main character is as average as the next man, but through his eyes, he's led a less than perfect existence and would complete it all with suicide. The four stories that we experience through Joe's life are actual events that took place in my own existence, leaving me with confidence that everyday people will connect with all of our characters.

FILM REVIEW

by Troy Williams
The Event Weekly
It's always a relief knowing that there is more going on cinematically in Utah than just bad episodes of Touched By An Angel. In fact, you don't have to head to California to find the next crop of cutting-edge filmmakers. Utah is raising it's own. Case in point: Joshua Tai Taeoalii.
Twice Today is an edgy commentary on the cycles of dysfunction that have reverberated through the life of Joe Oliver. The drama of his misspent life is reflected through the lives of four separate groups of neighbors. The drama of drug abuse, infidelity and delinquency escalate to disaster as Joe contemplates ending the tragedy of his life.
Taeoalii has a strong command of the cinematic art form. He weaves us successfully through the tangled lives of small-town misfits searching for redemption. He is an articulate director who captures all the angst and pathos of those living on the fringe of society: the junkie, the punk, the looser, the whore, the crippled and the betrayed. These are real people with whom we feel an affinity as we are completely drawn into their lives.
And technically, Taeoalii is a true artist. His composition and editing abilities are at times breathtaking. Many of his scenes are as competent (and some more so) as anything out of Hollywood. One juxtaposed sequence involving a bathroom rendezvous and a parental revelation of adultery is one of the most captivating scenes I've experienced this year. The film has rough edges though, and not all of the metaphors totally work for me. I found Joe Oliver, whose life the film symbolically depicts, the least compelling of all the individual narratives. I was completely absorbed by the other characters and almost resented Joe's reflexive confessional. I got the point and moral lesson without Joe having to explain it.
Taeoalii's storytelling has already accomplished this end. But I'm being nitpicky. So parts of Twice Today are rough. Big deal. I am sold on the film and in Taeoalii's ability to craft an intriguing tale. The minor issues I have are overshadowed by the realization that we have a terrific local filmmaker who is only going to be getting better.