Super 8 footage and old snapshots show two towheaded boys jumping rope, blowing out birthday candles and posing with Minnie Mouse. “It was such a happy time; they were just so happy,” says Jenny Farley, reflecting back on the childhood of her beautiful identical twins, Mark and Alex. But there was much more going on behind the picture-perfect facade of this suburban home, as the Farley family struggled to deal with coming out, sexual abuse, divorce, drug use and a failed joint suicide attempt.

Born three minutes apart, Mark says, “We were just in love with each other since the day we were born,” Now, at 21, he has a deeper understanding of the complexities of his and Alex’s intense bond. As teens, the boys were separated for two years because of their self-destructive actions. When they were finally reunited, Alex had news that would further rock the family — he no longer wanted to be Alex but now identified as Clair.

As they work through their painful past and their shifting present, each family member’s emotions run the gamut from anger and sadness to empathy and joy. “We fell apart as a family,” says Mark. “We still are a long way off because we just don’t fit into the white picket fence, and I don’t think we ever did.” Red Without Blue reexamines selfhood and sexual identity as we witness the evolution and rebirth of this courageous family.