Sister My Sister

(British)

A Film Four Intl. presentation in association with British Screen of an NFH production. Produced by Norma Heyman. Directed by Nancy Meckler. Screenplay, Wendy Kesselman.

Madame Danzard - Julie Walters
Christine - Joely Richardson
Lea - Jodhi May
Isabelle - Sophie Thursfield

A dramatization of the real story upon which Jean Genet's play "The Maids" is based, "Sister My Sister" is a small-scale film with some powerful moments. The film's claustrophobic ambience, overt lesbian overtones and formal artistic sensibility might restrict the appeal of this intense chamber piece to the arthouse and festival circuits.

Set in 1932, in a French provincial town, the drama concerns Madame Danzard (Julie Walters), a strict, authoritarian mother who domineers her clumsy daughter, Isabelle (Sophie Thursfield), to the point of emotional suffocation. As her major concerns are immaculate appearance, respectability and order, she's also extremely harsh with her two maids, Christine (Joely Richardson) and her younger sister, Lea (Jodhi May).

During the first hour, there's hardly any communication between the upstairs and downstairs in the rigidly stratified household. Through cross-cutting, the narrative draws parallels between the two sets of relationships, both based on unequal power and unhealthy emotional dependency. The tensions between the four women gradually reach breaking point, and in the horrific climax, an act of shocking violence erupts.

The insecure Christine resents the fact that sister Lea is their mother's favorite, and she still suffers from a bad experience at her convent. In contrast, Lea is the more sensitive and forgiving one. The sisters' isolation from the outside world and their sense of humiliation make them too reliant on each other. Soon, an explicitly sexual dimension is added to their already charged emotional encounters.

While the core situation is clearly established by writer Wendy Kesselman, her undernourished script doesn't offer much in the way of narrative surprises or in-depth characterizations. Lacking in specifics, the script doesn't achieve good dramatic construction; for long stretches, there's no dialogue and the interaction consists of exchanged looks.

Under these circumstances, chief problems may be pic's excessive running time and deliberate pacing. Attempting to overcome the screenplay's shortcomings, director Nancy Meckler focuses on the performances of her four talented actresses. But her use of flashbacks, which don't add much to the proceedings, the slow tempo and detached staging all indicate that ideally this should have been a one-hour play.

Walters, usually a reliable pro, gives a one-note performance, but the fault lies in her narrowly conceived role. As the sisters, Richardson and May fare better, displaying a greater range of emotions and giving some sharp shadings to their lean dialogue.

Proficient production values, particularly Ashley Rowe's crisp lensing and Caroline Amies' impressive production design, show alert intelligence behind the camera.

Camera (color), Ashley Rowe; editor, David Stiven; music, Stephen Warbeck; production design, Caroline Amies. Reviewed at Hamptons Film Festival, Oct. 23, 1994. Running time: 102 MIN.

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