L'Enfant d'en haut

Switzerland's entry for Best Foreign Language film (it will or won't be nominated come Thursday morning although it has already been announced as one of the Top 9 contenders by that organization) is about young Simon and his older sister who live in a housing complex at the base of a mountain housing a luxury ski resort/chalet.

Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) steals from the rich customers who have so much they are none the wiser and his sister Louise (Lea Seydoux) wanders aimlessly from man to man looking for a possible guy to take them both into his life.

It is an honest, unflinching composite of poverty and survival and Mottet Klein does an outstanding job in his role as someone who takes chances because he has nothing (or everything) to lose. Seydoux again impresses (this time in an un-likable role) as her Louise is one who needs to grow-up and learn a thing or two; but without knowing much of where these two came from we cannot fault either of them too much. Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The House of Mirth) shows up in a few scenes as an English tourist Simon wishes to impress but this story belongs to brother and sister.

We are all so quick to judge but oftentimes we know nothing of what we are talking about. Sister asks us to take a glimpse of another life and imagine ...

Really well done movie. I wanted to feel sorry for the pair of them, but I just couldn't, they were too unlikeable with their actions. But then part of me understood why they were both like that.

This incredible drama from an acclaimed director was a given watch, and surely did not disappoint in every sense of the word.

The actors all do an incredible job, some of the best in their careers, and it showcases some very interesting writing that works beautifully.

It is overall very beautifully put together in terms of both cinematography, cutting and editing. Truly a beautiful film to look at in every way.

Overall, a great feature that I would definitely recommend for any lover of film. It is truly a great drama with some very appreciated acting, and is very well put together. Definitely one of the director's better films and a great masterpiece.

Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) is a thief stealing from the foreigners at the ski resort. He lives with his aimless irresponsible sister Louise (Léa Seydoux). She's left yet another job and has questionable relationships. He gets caught by resort worker Mike (Martin Compston) but instead he starts selling the stolen skis to him. He takes bigger and bigger risks. He's an expert liar. He befriends resort patron Kristin Jansen (Gillian Anderson) pretending to be a rich kid.

It's a pretty good performance from Kacey of a ballsy character. It does need to amp up the danger for the boy. While the reveal is great, it doesn't really raise the danger. Maybe if they could add a thug looking for money or children services looking to take Simon away. Also it would be great to dig deeper into Louise's problems. Overall this is a little bit disturbing but needs to raise the tension much higher.

Glad to see so many positive reviews of this one. It's a fascinating, powerful film about two young people—a potty-mouthed artful dodger and a soft-faced older girl he calls "frangine" ("sis")—trying to live by their wits at a Swiss ski resort. Léa Seydoux's sulky beauty makes her perfect for the role of Louise; Kacey Mottet Klein, then barely into his teens, gives an amazing performance as Simon. Didn't recognize Gillian Anderson as the Englishwoman who takes a motherly interest. The slangy (not to say skanky) dialogue may be useful to students of advanced conversational French. Ursula Meier's first feature, "Home," is a total headtrip, longer on concept than plot and reminiscent of 50s absurdist satires of modern life by Ionesco and Jacques Tati; this one has real visceral impact. Both "Sister" and "Home" are available on streaming Netflix.