Little Sister

Set in 2008, this indie is more of a relationship drama than a comedy, and is filled with lots of imperfect characters. It's a quiet movie where for the most part the characters come off as real persons. However, in my opinion, not everything works here and, at times, the movie seems to veer off into places it didn't need to go to be effective.

Addison Timlin is terrific in the lead role of Colleen, who's a nun novitiate in a Brooklyn convent. She's temporarily traveling home to Asheville, N.C., after a 3 year absence, at the request of her mother Joani (Ally Sheedy). Sheedy plays up to the hilt her role of the disturbed and drug taking mom.

The principal reason for Colleen's return home is to emotionally support her brother Jacob, most ably portrayed by Keith Poulson, who has been severely disfigured by a bomb blast while serving as a Marine in the war. Now, Jacob is extremely isolative and depressed and is suffering both physically and mentally. Thus, the remainder of the film will center on Colleen's attempts to help her brother, remembrances of her goth past, as well as trying to interact and cope with the remainder of her dysfunctional family,

All in all, this indie, written and directed, by Zach Clark, certainly has its moments, but I felt, as mentioned, it was too overloaded with on screen drug use and at times veered "off the tracks". Therefore, I would say despite its uplifting ending this was a mixed bag for me.

It's 2008. Novice nun Colleen Lunsford (Addison Timlin) is a former goth teen turned religious. She goes home to her estranged family to be with her brother. He is reclusive for unseen reason and hiding from the media. She has a contentious relationship with her mother Joani Lunsford (Ally Sheedy).

This is a quirky family indie with a side of political commentary. The political commentary confuses me. I'm not sure what the movie is trying to say other than the Obama Karen. Maybe it's just simple coloring for the mother-daughter dysfunction. That's the heart of the movie anyways. Other than the drugs, I don't know much about the mother's life or their conflict. This seems to lay out a fine dysfunctional family, but I would like to dig deeper.

I saw 'White Rabbit' years ago and loved it, though frankly forgot about it because life / pandemic / etc. So when I stumbled across 'Little Sister' and connected the dots la la-la-la, I dug in. And like an inviting warm bath where this cozy tale takes you eases you into you. And by you, I mean yourself. Our self. Our selves. The underlying premise of the narrative is we are all that we are, the lovely, the tragic, the awards, the accidents, and the glue in it - if we are lucky - is the DNA of our upbringing in our homes and home towns. You know, some movies you're watching the clock, wondering when it's going to end. For me and this ensemble I was sold and smitten. The double down meaning and wink / nod of 'little sister' only make this little sojourn that much more pleasant. The moral of the story is some times you get a semi urgent email from a parent, and some times that is the impetus to drop what you're doing. All the while that journey of self-discovery is still afoot too.

Roger Ebert had a great line describing the feel of this movie. After quoting a piece of wacky dialogue (talking about lesbian Satanism), Ebert said: "It's a powerful indication of just how well Little Sister works that the above exchange does not come off as 'quirky,' or 'kooky,' or a 'black comedy' ba-dumb-ching punchline."

That's what I mean in the title of this review. Although you'd think the story is poised to be a thick satire, it's not. And that's what makes it unique and effective. I mean with a plot about an ex-goth girl becoming a nun whilst reconnecting with her brother who came back from the war in Iraq and her stoner parents in a small town in North Carolina, you'd think this could be every bit as cheeky as Edward Scissorhands without the scissors. But instead, director Zach Clark chose to play it straight.

The result is a film that might not be as laugh-out-loud funny or bizarre as it could be, but in its place we get a serious message that we can apply to our lives. I won't tell you what that message is, but if you watch the movie then pay attention to Ally Sheedy's (the mom) monologue near the end which ties everything together and drives the point home.

Gosh well I just made this movie sound as dry as a nun's gusset. But no, it's actually interesting and had a few moments of classic humor. One such moment happens when the girl, all gothed up, and her brother, disfigured from the war, are walking in the woods when they come up on a young kid who stares at them and asks "are you monsters?" Awkward silence is followed by the brother shrugging and saying matter-of-factly, "yeah."

It's this sort of subtle humor with serious meaning that carries the film all the way through. So, as Roger Ebert said, don't expect a lot of zingers because this movie is pretty subtle.

Something worth mentioning is the odd soundtrack composed of a lot of drum solos and 80s alt-metal/punk bands like GWAR ("Have You Seen Me"), Christian Death ("Romeo's Distress") and Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons ("Happy Funeral"). The use of obscure cult classics reminded me of the films "Pump Up the Volume" and "Empire Records", two other great films that have a similar vibe to Little Sister, that is, a wacky plot but played mostly on a serious level to keep things real.

Acting is excellent all around with a notable performance by Ally Sheedy who plays a dysfunctional mom who could easily be the grown up version of her iconic character in "The Breakfast Club" (1985). Cinematography is interesting, beginning with conservative shots & reality (hand held camera), but as the plot gets weirder so does the camera, bringing us to a bizarre Halloween climax that could've easily been shot by Tim Burton. Little Sister is totally worth the price of admission and I'll probably be watching it a 2nd time. So I guess you could say this nun flick is habit forming. (How's that for a ba-dumb-ching)

This film is a rare gem, watch it.

---Mild Spoilers----

This is one of those films which makes you think about it after watching it. It's a sweet film filled with sadness. The lead actress is struggling to find a structure, her veteran brother is struggling with ptsd and injuries, her brother's fiance is struggling whether with her fiance's new appearance and is secretly a adult cam actress, her mother is struggling with mental illness and committed a failed suicide attempt.