Your Sister’s Sister is low-key, but uses its minimalism to its advantage. By 3 characters/actors dominating the screentime and largely one set inside a cabin, its plot can be centralized and move with a simple but clear purpose.
What stands out about the film is the tension. Once Iris arrives at the cabin, it feels as if Jack and Hannah’s secret is on the verge of being found out at any moment, with a wrong word or facial expression tipping it off. As a result the film feels constantly teetering on the edge of an explosion. This makes it an entertaining and surprisingly intense film.
The screenplay helps create this tension, with rich dialogs anchoring its layered characters. The characters’ have a layered interplay between their exterior personalities and the interior they are shielding, with emotions and dilemmas to spare.
Mark Duplass and Rosemarie Dewitt are very good, but Emily Blunt is who shines, showing the vulnerability and insecurity that comes with being the more straight laced sister and her feelings for Jack. Emily Blunt had an outstanding 2012 between this and her Looper performance and may have made “the leap” as an actress.
If I have a criticism of the film, it’s in the ending. While a happy ending and reconciliation is neither unexpected or unsatisfying, its execution felt a bit easy, tidy and from more well treaded waters in regards to film. This is especially true of Duplass making a “speech” to get the girls on his side.
Furthermore, because the film is so fun when Jack and Hannah are withholding the secret from Iris, after the blow-up when it coms out, the remainder of the film feels as if the air went out of the balloon, to an extent.
Nevertheless, Your Sister’s Sister does enough right to be a very good entry from 2012, as an entertaining and intense drama with colorful characters and writing.
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