Reunited twins give hope to adoptees

Samantha Futerman, left, and Anais Bordier pose for a photo after an interview at a cafe in Dongjak-gu, southern Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of AtNine Film

Poster for the film "Twinsters"
/ Courtesy of AtNine Film

By Yun Suh-young

The incredible story of Samantha Futerman and Anais Bordier, identical twins born in South Korea who were separated at birth then found each other after 25 years, made headlines a few years ago. The sisters visited Seoul last week to promote "Twinsters," a documentary about their own story which will hit the big screens on March 3.

Futerman, who grew up in a large family in Los Angeles, is outgoing and has always been happy with her life because it was full of love and joy, while the more introspective Bordier who grew up in Paris as a single child felt more lonely and was often hurt when peers made fun of her asking why she looked different from her Caucasian parents.

The two, who did not know of the other's existence, dramatically found each other through social networking services in 2013 and immediately embraced each other into their lives. The identical twins were born in South Korea in 1987 and were adopted by different families shortly after birth.

Futerman, who worked in the film industry as an actress, decided to make their cinematic encounter into an actual film. Taking the helm as director of the film with co-director Ryan Miyamoto, she documented the entire process from their very first encounter on Facebook messenger chat to their first face-to-face meeting in London, and the changes that took place in their daily lives since the two met.

The 90-minute film is a sweet and heartwarming documentary that explores the themes of family and identity. It centers on their encounter and how the meeting changed each other's lives.

During an interview with The Korea Times on Friday, the two shared how they felt about adoption and what it meant to them.

"I hope they understand that a kid is a kid no matter what. They should be happy that their family accepted them and loved them," said Bordier when asked what she wanted to say to adopted children all over the world.

"To parents who are adopting children, I'd say they're really brave. They're brave to understand what being a parent is. It's the same as just being a regular parent. To parents who gave their children away, they're the bravest of them all. It's the hardest thing. I hope our biological parents are happy. I want to thank them for choosing to wish for us a better life."

Although the two had different experiences of being adoptees, they felt the same about their adoption being a blessing.

"It takes a lot to not get rid of a child. It takes a lot of courage. I can't imagine what that pain is like. For new adoptive parents, congratulations and good luck on this journey of parenting. For adoptees, know that you're not alone. Don't forget that you're unique and there are many people out there to support you,"said Futerman.

To Futerman, the concept of family is the people who you choose to accept and embrace into your life.

"We continue to open up and accept more people into our lives. So it seems it never ends. We continue to gain more people in our lives and it's so much fun, it's amazing. I don't think more love could ever be a bad thing — it's always a good thing," she said.

The film wasn't targeted toward a particular audience such as the adoptees, they said.

"We weren't trying to do anything but tell an honest story," Futerman said. "We weren't trying to please anyone but we're happy that it came out with positivity."

Did they have in mind to release the film in Korea?

"Yes, we hoped it would be released in Korea once we finished it. It feels good to be here showing the film. It means a lot to us. It's exciting," she said.

Bordier didn't oppose the filming of their encounter when Futerman first suggested documenting their reunion.

"Since we were both working in similar industries — visual arts — and since she works in the film industry and my friend was also a photographer working in the same industry, I thought it would be a good idea. I accepted and trusted Sam completely," Bordier said.

Bordier, who studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, currently works at her family's company, Jean Rousseau in France.

Besides hating cooked carrots, the two said they share almost everything in common from painting or not painting their nails at the same time and going to the hairdresser almost on the same date. The biggest difference, they say, is their taste in music. Bordier likes old and classic rock and roll or electro-techno music while Futerman likes rock and roll, soul, funk, and pop singers such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.

When asked whether they wanted to learn Korean, the two said "yes" and that their favorite Korean food were "yukgejang" (hot spicy meat stew) for Bordier and "naengmyeon" (cold noodles) for Futerman.

"With Anais, we never even talk about our childhood because we're so excited about what's happening right now. Anais reinforces all the good things in our life," Futerman said

"I don't feel lonely anymore," Bordier said, who mentioned in the film that she used to feel lonely without a reason. "We text every day. We can just What's App her and Sam would instantly respond. I'm not feeling alone anymore."