A Sister

It is one of short films who you discover, scene by scene, detail by detail, as perfect. From inspired storytelling to the performances and cinematography. At first sigh, a gem. In essence, an intense drama because you feel each nuance of dialogue and its minimalism is real powerful. A call . A woman in the car. And her, in so many senses, sister. Short, exceptional in each detail.

This was an excellent, very well made exciting short film, which makes you sit on the edge of your seat. The dialogues and the performances were all convincing and the ending was cathartic. But unfortunately this movie is kind of a copy paste of a great danish movie called "The Guilty". If that movie didn't exist I would give this one a 10/10 rating, but the plot is so similar to "The Guilty" that it couldn't surprise me despite it's great presentation. Still I think this is the best of the Oscar nominated live action short films this year this year (I haven't seen SARIA yet). P.S.: I didn't spoil "The Guilty", watch that if you liked this!

"A Sister" is a 16 minute edge of your seat roller coaster ride. The pace is frenetic and relentless, you feel as if you are in the back seat of the car. Wonderful job by director Delphine Girard whom I would like see get a chance to direct a full length feature and kudos to Veerle Baetens as the 911 operator who is cool and poised under pressure and gives a performance you can feel.

Having attended a local theater's showing of the 2020 Oscar Shorts (Live Action) this was by far the best of the set in a particularly good year for the category. Within the first 60 seconds of the movie you immediately understand the very serious danger the main character (a woman who is a passenger in a man's car). The tension only builds from there. Even in a small theater the absolute stillness from the audience was palpable.

What is especially great here is the utter economy of how this story is told, along with an absolutelying perfect performance of the woman on the other end of the line (a police call operator). The pacing is likewise spot on, being long enough to build the story and draw out the tension, yet short enough to keep everything compact.

The short that did win that year was great as well, in fact several were, but this is one that you came away most changed by.

"A Sister" is an ideal short film in both its structure and content. The masterful use of camera combined with a powerful script and performances demonstrate all the essential qualities this cinematic medium has to offer. Delphine Girard's film couldn't be more timely and is one that will stay with its audience long after the final credits roll.