Those of you expecting the appearance of Tia and Tamera from hit 90’s tv show Sister Sister will be severely disappointed by this film. Your Sister’s Sister however proves so engaging from the first few lines of dialogue that all thoughts of the Mowry twins are quick to disappear.
An unnerving mix of comedy and drama it feels quite unique in the sense that it manages to combine elements of almost slapstick humor with moments of dark emotional grit. The film centers around Jack, a lovable yet confused man, who we meet at a gathering to commemorate his brother’s death. He loses his calm after a sickly sweet eulogy is delivered and manages to alienate an entire room in a somewhat venomous speech. His best friend Iris, played by Emily Blunt, takes him aside and assures him that a trip to her father’s empty lake house would be a good place to gather his thoughts and work through his grief.
The chemistry between Jack and Iris is evident from their first exchange. There is a fluidity to the dialogue that is both refreshing and surprising. This is carried throughout the entire film and adds a layer of realism to the relationships that’s rarely seen in cinema today.
Jack’s retreat to the empty lake house however is complicated by the presence of Iris’ sister Hannah. Recently split from a 7 year relationship she has also come in search of solitude and reflection. After a raucous meeting the two decide to share a bottle of tequila and end up revealing a bit too much of themselves. Iris’ unexpected arrival throws, what is already a bizarre situation, into further chaos.
The film takes the audience on various twists and turns revealing unexpected dynamics to each relationship as the plot unfolds. It deals with heavy subject matter throughout but doesn’t allow the characters to wallow in their respective gloom. Instead they poke fun at each other’s lives through the use of a bitterly dark wit. The cast seem born to play the twisted individuals we see on screen.
Their work is undone however towards the end of the film. The realism that is so refreshingly built throughout is lost as their stories begin to conclude. The honesty that makes the film so unusual crumbles and leaves us with a surprisingly vacuous group of fawning individuals.
That said, Your Sister’s Sister will undoubtedly make you laugh, cringe internally and may even provoke the odd tear. It is an entirely unshowy piece of filmmaking highlighting humor’s role in even the most depressing of situations. The last few minutes aside, this film manages to expose the wounds of love and treats it with equal amounts of hilarity and tragedy. [Watch the trailer]
Ciaran Doyle
