A Inocência e a Suspeita

Movies this bad don't ever get ratings of 1. No, that hallowed number is reserved for films so unimaginably bad they can never actually be made without spoiling the fun of playing the movie game called next-they'll-have-the-characters-do-this!

One qualifying scene in this clunker, reminiscent of Steven Seagal's awful "On Deadly Ground" and its dalliances with Native American mystique and visions of talking dead people, is when Steven Bauer and Joanna Kerns inexplicably kiss in the cave. Absolutely nothing leading up to that scene made the kiss believable, except perhaps to the director, whose resume shows he has not made it past TV movies. If he ever wants to, it won't help to tout this effort.

It's all part of a movie that jumps from one contrived, rushed and clichéd scene to another, carrying groan-inducing dialogue stiffly spoken by second-rate actors.

Prediction: this clunker will one day make Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

While other reviewers have panned this TV movie, I found it to be both interesting and entertaining. Somewhat loosely based on a novel by Barbara Parker, the Florida setting has been transformed to Sedona, AZ -- probably to better integrate the mystical elements within the movie. Voted one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S., the Sedona red rocks locations live up to their reputation and are breath-taking. I also enjoyed the musical score with its Native American influences. All the actors do a credible job portraying characters that are flawed and not always likable. The depiction of the love/hate relationship between steady, unemotional, older sister, Gail, and flighty, tortured, younger sister, Renee (portrayed by Joanna Kerns and Debrah Farantino, respectively), is believable and, ultimately, quite poignant. In short, in my opinion, watching "Sisters and Other Strangers" is worth a couple of hours of your time.

While the theme is a bit thin, the sets and cinematography are memorable and will make you wish to visit Sedona Arizona, or any other area of the west coast that doesn't have winter.....

George Grizzard as the father and the mystery in the family are a theme we have seen before, but somehow Kerns manages to transcend material, and becomes her role, she is sympathetic and believable in these films.

There is nothing wrong with escapism if it helps one to get through their day, and LMN network seems to have cornered this niche, sometimes filling in believable gaps that everyone experiences in their own families. This theme might also be interesting if it were explored with an estranged brother and sister. Recommended.