Sister, Sister

Plot synopsis:
The story starts out with Caroline Lovejoy (Carroll) singing in the church choir at the local church. It is later revealed that she is having an intense affair with the church's reverend. She later comes home to find her younger sister, Sissy (Cara), with her boyfriend, Johnny. It is expressed that Sissy is an aspiring ice skater, but Caroline wants her to follow in her footsteps and become a schoolteacher.
Their battle goes on throughout the movie. Later their estranged sister, Frieda (Cash) shows up with her 12-year-old son, Danny (Kristoff St. John). They decide to stay for a while because Danny has had some trouble with the law and Frieda wants to give him a fresh start in a new environment. While there, the sisters' lives turn up-side down. Frieda emerges as the troubled black sheep, while Caroline is knocked off her martyr pedestal when the minister succumbs to Frieda's seduction. Sissy learns that their father never wanted another daughter, but had hoped she would be the son that eluded him. Their mother tried to abort her.

Tags: gothic, murder

Review:
A Perfect Suspense Thriller.
Not to be confused with the TV show of the same name, Sister Sister the movie is a Suspense Thriller!
If you are expecting a comedy about twins separated at birth make sure you read the DVD box and go pick something else.Set on the beautiful and mysterious bayou's of Louisiana.
It follows the relationship between two sisters who have to keep a awful secret from childhood and what lengths they will go to, to keep that secret under wraps.Judith Ivy's performance as the older protective sister is stellar and that goes the same for, screen chemistry between Eric Stolz and Jennifer Jason Leigh.Be prepared for twists and turns in this one.
And a Paranormal touch too.If you watch it for anything watch it for the mystery and the stunning dream sequences..
Sisters are doing it for each other..
Two repressed sisters run a bed and breakfast in old mansion-like motel in the Louisiana swamps for passer-byes.
A young man, Matt Rutledge comes to stay, for a break from the fast city-life and at first glance catches the eye of the younger sister, Lucy.
Though soon, Matt realises that Lucy and her older sister, Charlotte are hiding some sort of secret from their past and this is the reason for Charlotte being so overprotective towards Lucy.
Oh, my beloved sister what have you done?
Now why has this film gone by terribly unnoticed?
Hmm, it's hard actually to pinpoint.
There's just something highly enticing about this effectively minor southern Gothic shocker.
Shocker, might be too strong of a word, but chiller fits snugly I guess.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything of quality or uniqueness.
But it delivered.
No doubts that the film's premise, developments and actual surprises aren't anything we haven't seen before, but because it's very well crafted by director Bill Condon.
He professionally constructs an unsettling air from the beautifully damp backdrop and cooks up some stunning imagery.You can't help but be drawn into this well-devised (if slow-grinding) mystery that leads you along with its stylishly taut direction and steamily uneasy scenery.
I found it to get more and more involving upon every occurrence that resulted in this psychological drama-packed tale.
Streaming through it is an erotic tone with tension boiling underneath the lavish-looking surface, as people play each other off in a complicated web of deceit and jealousy.
Even a sprinkle of the hazy supernatural makes its way in, but honestly the surprise twist to close up shop puts a real spanner into the mix.
It doesn't sit that well with what has gone before it and actually dumb-down the whole build up.
Shaping up the classiness of the production is a bell-ringer of a melancholy score by Richard Einhorn that was intoxicatedly lyrical in its cues and Stephen M.
Katz's wonderfully poignant camera-work gave it a delicate touch.
The cast were exceptional in their parts and had a huge impact on the success.
Eric Stoltz, Judy Ivey, Denis Lipscomb and the breathtakingly ravishing Jennifer Jason Leigh definitely lead the way with blindingly precise performances.A fascinating, haunting little thriller that from the outset will just eat you up..
delectable southern Gothic horror fantasy.
"Sister, Sister" is Bill Condon's first feature and possibly one of his best.
This delicious Southern Gothic fantasy involves two sisters running a bed and breakfast in their Louisiana mansion.
Terrible things start happening when a group of new guests arrive and the sisters' dark secrets start to come out.
This reminds me of the types of horror films Bette Davis/Joan Crawford/Olivia DeHavilland would have starred-in in the 60s.
I loved every minute of it.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and especially Judith Ivey are perfect in the lead roles.
I have no idea why this film is so underrated, but it's one of my favorite horror movies from the decade of excess..
A nice piece of Southern gothic.
The director of this film, Bill Condon, later won a measure of acclaim for directing Gods and Monsters.
His talent is already evident in this work which takes a familiar story and makes it work through wonderful gothic atmosphere and wonderful performances from Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judith Ivey, and especially Eric Stoltz.
A nice combination of B-movie conventions with A-movie talent..
Top rate Southern Gothic..
This is a great Southern Gothic film, a genre we don't see enough examples of, especially of this caliber.
To the one who didn't like its brutality, all I have to say is, A) it's fairly subtle compared to many horror films, and B) What were you expecting?
A Merchant Ivory Production.
Plus, I think Bill Condon, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judith Ivey all did wonderful jobs - elevating what could have been a by the numbers exploitation film into something that's haunted me for years..
brief favorable/descriptive review.
Gothic bayou horror story about murder, revenge and the voyeuristic/overprotective relationship of two sisters.
Excellent quality for a TV movie.
Contains one somewhat steamy love scene which is unusually revealing for television..
southern goth ~!.
This early Joel Cohen, sans Ethan, effort is passable.
It features a good southern goth feel and some fine performances from Judith Ivey and Jennifer Jason Leight.
It does rely too heavily on shock, rather than fleshing out its plot, but still its pretty convincing stuff!
There is the requisite nudity and violence but at least this seems intune with the settings and people, unlike some deliberately sleazy thrillers.
The repressed younger sister is understandably attracted to ahandsome "stranger", and her older sis is of course jealous.
this makes sense and sets up a good twist with some nice nuances.
Recommended especially for fans of Leigh..
Southern Gothic.
Two sisters (Judith Ivey and Jennifer Jason Leigh) turn their family mansion in Louisiana into a guest house.
One of their guests (a young Eric Stoltz) is an aide to a congressman, and turns their lives inside out.
Director Bill Condon is interesting -- this was his debut film, but it seems his career really blossomed in the 2000s with a string of hits: "Kinsey" (2004), "Dreamgirls" (2006), "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" (2011) and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" (2012).
Humble beginnings?I actually did not find this to be all that great of a film.
The cast helped it (Jennifer Leigh can do no wrong).
But really, just not a film I am eager to see again and that is all I have to say..
beware of chills, thrills, and chills!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!.
this highly suspenseful tour DE force will grab you by the nape of your neck, throw you against the wall, break the mirror, and NEVER LET YOU GO!
a tour DE force performance by Gennifer Jason Leigh, and also a highly suspenseful performance by Brain DE palma.
the eerie setting of the bayou sets a most provocative and eerie mis en scene.
MIS EN SCENE ABOUNDS!
did i mention this was a tour DE force?
Gennifer Jason Leigh is a HOTTIE TOTTIE!
walk, but don't trottie.
JENNIFER JASON LEIGH XXL!
Brain DE palma and Susan saran-don have some REAL chemistry.
WOOOOOO!
gohsts!
and zombiess the swamp too.
a tour DE force abounds!
i give it an 8 for plot, though a few scenes struck me as a bit over the top and self-indulgent.
THRILLS AND CHILLS AWAIT YOU!!!!!
also plot twists a-go-go.
walk, but don't run to the movie store, to rent the VHS, of, SISTER SISTER.
What are you waiting for?!?!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..
If you love your sister, don't watch it !.
My sister told me that there was a movie called "Sister, Sister" and I knew nothing about it, but I wanted to see it because the title sounded great to me.
I thought it would be a lovely film, but it wasn't.
It's just brutal and primitive, although a relationship between sisters is always special and they have always a secret to share.
Bill Condon did a rather bad job and the actresses, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh, are even worse !
The story has nothing to do with reality..
A real sleeper.
Willful and dominating Charlotte (a splendid portrayal by Judith Ivey) and her more fragile and passive younger sister Lucy (a terrific performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh) reside in a dreary mansion that they have converted into a guest house in the Louisiana swamps.
The arrival of the handsome and enigmatic Matt Rutledge (a sound and engaging Eric Stoltz) forces them to confront a dark secret from their unfortunate past.
Director Bill Condon, who also co-wrote the engrossing script with Joel Cohen, relates the absorbing story at a leisurely, yet hypnotic pace, does an expert job of crafting an exquisitely brooding gloom-doom Southern Gothic atmosphere that seethes with pent-up repression and thwarted passion, vividly evokes a dreamy feeling of the remote bayou region, and tosses in a startling, but effective supernatural element at the surprising conclusion.
The uniformly excellent acting from a bang-up cast holds everything together: Ivey, Stoltz, and especially Leigh all do sterling work in their roles, with sturdy support from Dennis Lipscomb as the suspicious Sheriff Cleve Doucet and Benjamin Mouton as the smitten and possessive Etienne LeViolette.
As a sweet extra plus, the lovely Ms. Leigh bares her yummy body in a couple of sizzling and sensuous soft-core sex scenes as well as takes a steamy bath.
Stephen M.
Katz's striking'n'stylish golden-hued cinematography and Richard Einhorn's beautifully lush'n'lilting orchestral score both further enhance the overall fine quality of this unjustly neglected little dilly..
Somewhat uneven supernatural thriller set in South Louisiana swamp land..
I recently was watching "Bad News Bears" with Vic Morrow, and realized how much his daughter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, is now resembling him as she approaches the age he was when he died.
So I looked up one of her older movies, just for fun viewing, and found this one on Netflix streaming movies.
It is set and filmed in an area I know well, the areas near swamps in South Louisiana, including a couple of old plantation homes.
One of the actors, Ben Mouton, is even from Lafayette and attended USL, the same college I attended a few years earlier.The two Bonnard sisters live in an operate a B&B in the old plantation home.
There has always been rumors that ghosts live in the swamps and people have disappeared with no trace.The older sister, probably early 30s, is Judith Ivey as the overprotective Charlotte Bonnard.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is her sister, perhaps 10 years younger, Lucy Bonnard.
Lucy has apparently had some emotional issues growing up and is still on medication.
Charlotte treats her more as a child than a sister.One day a stranger, Eric Stoltz as Washington businessman Matt Rutledge, shows up for his reservation to stay there a few days.
It isn't clear what he is doing there, and seems more than a bit suspicious, especially when he begins to make moves towards Lucy.This doesn't sit well, especially in the eyes of family friend and handyman, Benjamin Mouton as Etienne LeViolette.
(As an aside, being from Lafayette, he is the only character that sounds like he is actually from Louisiana, all the other accents are generic "southern" accents that seem out of place.) A few strange things happen, the pet family dog turns up dead, before the mystery is sorted out.
This is an uneven movie at best, even though the core story has a lot of possibilities.
The script, the acting and the direction are mostly bland, often ringing untrue, but Stoltz and Leigh do fine in their roles.
I enjoyed it mainly for the novelty of a movie set in my home area, Southern Louisiana.SPOILERS: When Charlotte was in high school her date was too aggressive and tried to force himself onto her.
When little sister Lucy witnessed what was going on she found a rock and hit the guy on the head, who then tried to rape Lucy.
But Charlotte picked up a knife, stabbing him to death.
Afraid the two girls dragged the body to the edge of the swamp and dumped him in, never to be found.
A boy witnessed it, in the nighttime shadows they thought it was their friend Etienne, but it in fact was the guy's brother, now returning for revenge as Matt Rutledge.