Sister Sister

This is a great Southern Gothic film, a genre we don't see enough examples of, especially of this caliber. To the one who didn't like its brutality, all I have to say is, A) it's fairly subtle compared to many horror films, and B) What were you expecting? A Merchant Ivory Production. Plus, I think Bill Condon, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judith Ivey all did wonderful jobs - elevating what could have been a by the numbers exploitation film into something that's haunted me for years.

I'll watch almost anything if Jennifer Jason Leigh is in it, and not just because she gets her kit off a lot; she's a great actress and usually elevates anything she appears in. But we all have our off days, and even Jen cannot save this Southern gothic horror from mediocrity.

Leigh plays Lucy Bonnard, mentally fragile younger sister of Charlotte (Judith Ivey); together, the siblings run a guest house in the Louisiana swamps. When dashing young businessman Matt Rutledge (Eric Stoltz) arrives at the house, he seduces Lucy, which annoys Charlotte, whose own relationship with sheriff Cleve Doucet (Dennis Lipscomb) is on the rocks, and angers Lucy's childhood friend and admirer Etienne (Benjamin Mouton).

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Matt is up to no good, but what is his reason for stirring up trouble for the Bonnard sisters?

Admittedly, the mystery is fairly engaging and develops satisfactorily, ending with a neat supernatural twist, but there is still something off about the whole film. It's difficult to pinpoint precisely what it was that didn't click for me, but there is definitely something awkward about the performances and direction. Lovely Jennifer does take her clothes off though, so there is that.

"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.