Sister, Sister

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.

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.

"Sister, Sister" is an erotic thriller filmed on location at a stunningly atmospheric mansion in the Louisiana swampland. A handsome young traveler, Eric Stoltz, is pulled into the mysterious relationship between innkeeper sisters Judith Ivey and Jennifer Jason Leigh. At mid-mark, this somewhat subdued film tips over briefly into slasher territory, before resuming its slow burn. Among the cast, Ivey comes off best as a guarded protectress with a mysterious past.

This film is most notable for just how good it looks: Stephen M. Katz's cinematography has a warm nighttime gauziness that gradually envelops the viewer. A very elegant affair, "Sister, Sister" might have benefited from more camp eccentricity, only glimpsed briefly in Natalija Nogulich's supporting role as a nagging guest from hell. This was Bill Condon's directorial debut: he would later return to Louisiana again for the underrated horror sequel "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh."

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.

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.