Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse, sexual assault and rape which some readers may find distressing.
A Netflix documentary has captured the horrifying moment a brother discovers that his twin had been hiding a disturbing secret from their childhood.
In 1982, 18-year-old Alex Lewis, from the UK, suffered a near-fatal crash, which left him in a three-month coma. When he woke up, the only thing he could remember was the face of his twin brother Marcus.
The twins returned to their home, and Marcus did his best to paint a picture of a happy childhood and life for his brother. However, it wasn't until nearly 40 years later that Alex would discover the dark secret his brother had been hiding.
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In 2019, Netflix released the documentary film Tell Me Who I Am, and much like Alex's life, viewers don't find out until the very end to discover the haunting truth about what happened earlier in their childhood.
Marcus helped Alex understand where the brothers were supposed to eat and sleep, and how to tie his shoelaces. However, he didn't understand why they'd stayed in a shed on their family's property without keys to the main property.
Alex assumed that they had a healthy relationship with their parents, that is, until he discovered explicit images of the boys in their mother's bedroom after her death.
When Alex asks Marcus if their mother abused them, he confirms it. The documentary goes on to reveal the extent of the abuse they'd suffered, which extended beyond their mother to her acquaintances, where they were 'passed around' and raped by other adults.
Marcus says he'd 'painted a picture of a normal family', adding: "But none of that was true. It was a fantasy that I was creating for him."
He went on to say that the sexual abuse from their mother had occurred until they were 12 to 14 years old, and he wanted to give Alex 'a present of not knowing any of that'.
He said: "If I just told you today that that happened in your childhood and you knew nothing about it, it would f**k the rest of your life up. Why would you feel it's necessary to give an emotionally disturbed 18-year-old information that he can't handle and is not necessary for him to know?
"If it was the other way around, I would expect him to do the same. I would want him to do the same. I'd be angry if he hadn't done it. And I do feel very passionately about that."
By not relaying their abuse to Alex, it allowed Marcus some level of escape from his trauma, as he added: "Alex lost his memory by accident, and I lost my memory voluntarily... I was free, I could be rid of all the things she had done to me."
Ed Perkins, the film's director, told Time Magazine in 2019 that he'd spent three years getting to know the two brothers before any filming occurred, adding that there had been 'a number of times when Alex and Marcus pulled out of the project'.
As for what became of the brothers after the documentary aired, he said: "They’re amazing fathers and husbands. It’s very inspiring for me to see people who have gone through more than you’d wish on anybody and yet resolutely refuse to be defined as victims.
"I really hope audiences are left with a feeling of hopefulness.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, Mental Health
James Moorhouse