Louise is supposed to be the big sister in her relationship with 12-year-old Simon, but she's only pretending. In fact, even though she's more than a decade older -- and even though they have no one else in their lives to be the adult in the relationship -- if anyone's doing the care-taking, it's Simon.
Louise spends her days hopscotching between menial jobs that she will eventually get fired from, then spends her nights carousing with the boyfriend du jour. Meanwhile, the resourceful Simon makes his way daily up to the Swiss ski resort near their small town, and proceeds to steal -- then sell -- ski equipment to put food on their table.
The only thing more tragic than the fact that he's been forced into such a larcenous life is the fact that he's so darn good at it.
It is their story that is told in writer-director Ursula Meier's "Sister," a simple but emotionally laden slice-of-life drama that made the shortlist for this year's foreign-language Oscar (but was left off the list of five final nominees), and that opens Friday (Jan. 25) for a weeklong run at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center.
Alternately heartbreaking and hopeful, Meier's film is built around nice performances from Lea Seydoux and Kasey Mottet Klein. The engine that really makes her snowy character study go, however, is her deft writing and direction. She doesn't burden her film with cumbersome exposition - or with much dialog at all, really. Rather we simply watch as Simon silently - almost invisibly - goes about his light-fingered business.
He's a remarkable kid - smart, confident, charming and brave. But he has to be, given that he's go no one else to rely upon. Whether at home or at "work," he spends his life being told to go away, that he doesn't belong here, that he's not wanted.
He's a tragic figure, to be sure, but not as tragic as Louise. One gets the feeling that Simon will be all right one way or the other - he's a survivor if nothing else. She, on the other hand, is damaged and weak and, should Simon ever stop taking care of her, in possession of an entirely uncertain future.
Just as "Sister" settles in, Meier throws audiences the kind of cinematic curveball that is rare for a film like this, but one that ups the emotional stakes exponentially. All the while, though, she avoids indulging in any overly saccharine sentimentality or holier-than-thou preaching.
Rather, in "Sister," she lets her characters tell the story - and, brother, is it a stirring one.
______
SISTER
4 stars, out of 5
Snapshot: A quiet, slice-of-life drama about a 12-year-old boy who supports his family by stealing ski equipment from a nearby resort. In French, with English subtitles.
What works: Writer-director Urusla Meier's deft direction keeps things engaging, despite the film's long stretches of oddly engaging silence.
What doesn't: The pacing might be too slow for impatient moviegoers.
Cast: Lea Seydoux, Kasey Mottet Klein, Gillian Anderson. Director: Meier. Rating: Unrated, warrants PG-13 for scenes of smoking, alcohol use and juvenile delinquency. Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes. Where: Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center.
Source: http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2013/01/sister_movie_review_stirring_s.html
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