By Cara Nash
“I like the bare-bones chamber piece paradigm where you’re just dealing with a very small number of characters in a very condensed timeline and physical area,” writer/director, Lynn Shelton, told FilmInk in 2011. “It creates an opportunity for the audience to really get to know the characters and turn the microscope on their emotional dynamics.” Shelton’s 2009 indie, Humpday – which focused on two straight guys who have sex on tape for an art project – seemed outrageous from the outset, but the director took that premise and made it feel credible, funny, and perceptive. And she applies that same deft touch with Your Sister’s Sister, where the laughs come laced with pain.
The film kicks off with a bitingly good opening scene at a memorial service, which sees Jack (a bruised but sympathetic Mark Duplass) defy the rosy memories that a group of mourners have of his late brother by sharing his own anecdote. He recalls that his bullying brother only changed into the good guy that everyone remembers after seeing Revenge of the Nerds – and decided that he wanted to end up on the winning side. It’s clear that Jack is slightly damaged goods, and in a bid to help him, his best friend, Iris (a surprisingly warm Emily Blunt), sends him on a break to her family’s holiday cabin. But instead of solitude, Jack finds Iris’ half-sister, Hannah (a prickly but mysterious Rosemarie DeWitt), who’s busy drowning her own sorrows. A shared bottle of tequila sees the pair end up in bed, only to attempt to hide all evidence of their one-nighter when Iris rocks up…
A pro at working within this low-key setting, Shelton mines the intimacy for all that it’s worth, creating palpable discomfort and embarrassment between the trio. It’s in the completely natural interactions between this gifted cast that the film really hits its groove. Some might find it aimless and talky, but there’s more insight, wit and heart to be found here than in many of the most carefully scripted dramas.
Your Sister’s Sister also marked the first time that Lynn Shelton had brought a “name actor” into her creative mix, with Blunt playing the role of the sweet younger sister, Iris. The more difficult elder sister, Hannah, was initially to be played by the equally blue ribbon Rachel Weisz, who dropped out at the eleventh hour. Given that Shelton’s approach involves dedicated preparation, this last minute casting change came as an initial blow. “When Rachel dropped out, I thought that the movie was done,” Shelton admitted to FilmInk. “I didn’t think that there was any way that I could go on as the role was custom-designed for her. But it turned out to be just fine, which was a big lesson for me.”
Your Sister’s Sister is screening on Tuesday 9 July 2024 at City of Perth Library. More information here
