I’m torn on this film. On the one hand, it is an engaging, introspective documentary about trailblazing musicians who have stood up against social norms.

On the other hand, it’s about a musical comedy duo whose songs are barely listenable and only considered comedy on the most basic level.

Essentially, this review is going to spend time discussing what makes this a strong documentary film, because it does tell an interesting and important story, and it tells it well.

Jools and Linda Topp, currently age 53, are lesbian folk singers from New Zealand, who found fame in the early ‘80s with their unique brand of in-your-face folk/yodel/country music.

Not a pair to mask its lyrics in any flowery delivery (or hide their homosexuality from anyone), all the cards are on the table in a simple, straightforward manor.

The film follows the evolution from busking street performances to a cabaret act, all the way to a performance on the 1983 New Zealand Music Awards and beyond.

In the ‘90s, Linda and Jools became equally well known as a comedic duo, with numerous characters (Ken & Ken, Camp Mother & Camp Leader) that they would perform in a live setting and on television.

The Topp Twins are noted for being incredibly positive homosexual role models, as most lesbians in the media of the early ‘80s were known for depraved acts of murder and mental illness.

That, and it is all delivered in a likeable country music package that flips the genre on its head.

The film dances between recent performances of the Topp Twins’ greatest hits, interview segments with the subjects, and interviews with various friends and admirers, including politicians, activists, comedians and musicians. (In one segment, singer Billy Bragg refers to them as an “anarchist variety act.”)

The format works well, and only gets old when all of the songs begin to sound the same after a while.

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls is a wonderful document of an incredibly positive career.

Certain tours are highlighted, such as the 1985 Nuclear Free Zone Tour and 1989’s Gypsy Caravan Tour (in which the duo traveled in a caravan pulled by a tractor), which paint a picture of just how unique this Kiwi comedy team are.

It’s not quite Tegan and Sara meets Flight of the Conchords, but definitely a story worth a darn.

Published in Volume 65, Number 27 of The Uniter (June 29, 2011)