Sister My Sister (1995)

Truly Dreadful Film

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

American theater and film director Nancy Meckler's feature film debut which was written by American playwright Wendy Kesselman, is based on her play "My Sister In This House" from 1981 and the Papin murder case which took place in Le Mans, France in 1933. It was shot at Pinewood Studios in England and is a United Kingdom production which was produced by English producer Norma Hayman. It tells the story about a 21-year-old woman named Léa Papin who is reunited with her 26-year-old sister Christine after moving out of her mother's home and getting a job as a live-in maid for an aristocratic woman named Madame Danzard. Léa and Christine goes to church every Sunday, works all day long cooking, cleaning and serving their landlord and her daughter Isabelle and sticks together in their spare time, but as time goes by Madame Danzard begins noticing changes in their behavior.Finely and precisely directed by American filmmaker Nancy Meckler, this finely tuned and somewhat fictionalized tale which is narrated mostly from the two main characters viewpoints, draws a rare portrayal of two dutiful sisters who's close attachment escalates when the younger sister starts making intimate approaches towards her elder sister. While notable for it's naturalistic and mostly interior milieu depictions, fine production design by English production designer Caroline Amies, cinematography by English cinematographer Ashley Rowe and costume design by costume designer Lindy Hemming, this dialog-driven and narrative-driven period piece which examines themes like class distinctions, prejudice, social and sexual repression and crime depicts two interrelated studies of character and contains an efficient instrumental score by English composer Stephen Warbeck.This graphic psychological drama and both heartrending and malicious love-story which is based on real events about two subordinate and suppressed women who whilst living under the command of a rigid and pedantic middle-aged woman crosses a consequential line when they initiate an incestuous relationship, is set in France in the early 20th century and is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, enigmatic atmosphere, variegated characters and the wholehearted acting performances by English actresses Joely Richardson, Jodhi May, Julie Walters and Sophie Thursfield. A dense, dramatic and mystic indie from the early 1990s which gained, among other awards, the award for Best New Director Nancy Meckler and Best Actress Joely Richardson and Jodhi May at the 39th Valladolid International Film Festival in 1994.

Most viewers could gloss over this film and say that it's about incest, or lesbian incest. But it's not; it's about class warfare. Or rather, a cold war between the upper and lower class. Neither side wants to commit the first strike. But when it finally happens, it unravels savagely as years of bottled-up frustration erupt at the worst possible time.It's also a parable about the unnatural structure of state society. One that creates predicaments in which people like the Papin sisters could be mentally repressed to the extent that their sexuality is misguided in an unorthodox direction. Christine and Lea's suffering happened because society has become complacent in the way class order is practiced.I enjoyed this narrative because there's no plot, yet the antagonist is clear from the beginning. The harder the oppressor bears down on Christine and Lea, the more introverted their sexual energy became. From an artistic stand point, this was an exercise in subtlety. At no point does the script underestimate the viewer's intelligence. Only available lighting was used- creating an atmosphere of seclusion and privacy while underlining the fact that Christine and Lea's conduct were perfectly natural (given their circumstances). Low color saturation emphasizes the inhibiting nature of man-made social structure.At one point, we cross cut between the madame and Izabelle playing cards with the maids having sex- indicating the distinction between superficial pleasure and organic pleasure. The performances are an example of four actresses who genuinely enjoy acting. It's a shame movies like this are difficult to find and are rarely viewed.

You'd think a movie about incestuous sisters who eventually murder their employer couldn't help but be gripping, but then you'd be wrong.There is no plot. There is no character development. There is no redeeming visual beauty.This movie is a waste of time. The exploration of how the relationship between the sisters develops is nil, their sexuality is never anything but a grotesque, the class relationships are glossed over, and employer is a silly caricature.Ponderous silences and period clothing do not equal depth of meaning.

This is a great film for oppressed workers. We who toil daily can't help but identify with the two sisters, trapped, terrified of being fired, with only one another to turn to. Their revenge is terrible, but also, in a twisted sort of way,understandable. Besides being a beautifully acted film with a sustained mood of wonder mixed with dread, Sister My Sister explores taboo subjects: incest, lesbianism, and worker revenge. I have frequently recommended this movie to friends, and everyone of them has loved it!