They don't know each other anymore. Time and distance have changed things. Only the family home left by their parents offers any common ground. Lonergan finds subtle comedy in the way that Sammy and Terry have drifted far apart. Sammy is a churchgoing mom with a strong moral rulebook.
Terry is a drifter.
Together, they create a humorous clash of personal politics. The drama occurs when their reunion begins to make an unexpected impact on both siblings. Winner of two major prizes at the Sundance Film Festival, You Can Count on Me never dissolves into familiar melodrama. Its characters are too believable to create any false emotions. Its storytelling is appropriately sentimental, but never trite or artificial.