Your Sister's Sister

Not an American indie films fan but once in a while there is one or two films that calls my attention like, for example, Winter's Bone or this year Beasts of the Southern Wild. Lynn Shelton film did not particularly called my attention as I decided to skip her previous and most honored Humpday as believed story and the kind of humor was definitively not for me. Now, after watching this film I'm starting to think that maybe I should give Humpday a try.

Shelton's film was a total surprise for me as even do looks like a low-budget production, feels like a very good one thanks to great performances and a storytelling style that engages you fast no matter what you see happening in the screen.

Think will have to split myself to review this film and first let's get out of the way everything about the "lesbian interest" this movie has. There will be some story spoilers, so if you don't want to learn them please stop reading this paragraph. One of the three characters is lesbian and since the beginning of film you see her going to bed with a man; my reaction was to excuse her as I know can happen especially when you are drunk. But how her story ends really was inexcusable as plays with a cliché, the newest of the stereotypes, the "lesbian sperm-stealer". I did not find this funny and I did not like it at all.

Going back to my "normal" non-lesbian-interest mode have to admit that this romantic comedy in general is interesting as basically tells the story of an unusual relationship triangle of painfully real characters. Grieving on the first anniversary of his brother death, Jack (Mark Duplass) is a verbally aggressive mess; so his best friend and his brother ex-girlfriend, Iris (Emily Blunt), invites him to her father's cottage for some alone time to recuperate. Both are unaware that Iris' sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) is staying at the cottage recovering from her recent break-up to her girlfriend of seven years. So Jack meets Hannah, start talking, start drinking, start what seems like flirting, have sex, sleep together and next morning Jack wakes up when he hears noises from Iris. So Iris, Hannah and Jack are together in the middle of nowhere and that's when this very talkie story really starts, when Jack and Hannah try to hide all evidence of their one-nigther.

I'm a very visual person and "talkies" have to be outstanding for me to engage, fortunately this is an outstanding talkie that will engage you thanks to the most unbelievably good natural dialogue delivered with very realistic performances. The film really works its way into your head until you can't stop being truly interested and involved in what you are watching.

Since I'm not familiar with Shelton's work was unaware that her storytelling style mostly uses improvisation and have no doubt that this is one of the best improv I have seen in a very long time plus is what makes film so engaging and realistic. Even if her character story ends in a very unpleasant way, is undeniable that Rosemarie DeWitt's performance is the best and almost steals the whole movie, but Emily Blunt's gives Iris an outstanding warmth and Mark Duplass is acceptable even when I believe that too many times he overacts with his face expressions.

There was no real need to have a "lesbian sperm-stealer" in this story and I really regret they used it for humor; but besides this issue film is quite enjoyable, entertaining, engaging, compelling and worth-watching. I highly recommend film, but for those readers that enjoy the lesbian interest genre and tend to dislike lesbian/male sex and the use of stereotypes, I suggest to stay away as surely will get upset with Hannah story.

Enjoy!!

Watch trailer @MOC