Sister My Sister

[janehstein]

My copy of SMS finally arrived and I watched it this afternoon. It was a very sad and disturbing movie. This movie was NOT about lesbianism or class wars to me. It was about serious manipulation/repression of two women by an unloving greedy mother and living in a convent where love was forbidden. These women, notably Christine, were mentally ill from the rejection of their mother, the Roman Catholic convent and by the employer mother and daughter. It's textbook chronic depression and emotional post traumatic stress disorder. Makes you wish that Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Valium, etc. were around at that time. Their insanity grows after the final rejection by the sisters of their mother and the employer has become their surrogate mother, with the daughter as an enabler. In the end, the rejection and name calling (spitting?) by the employer was the straw that broke the camel's back for the sisters and they killed both with their bare hands and knives. I might have felt a LITTLE sympathy for the daughter as she seemed to like Lea (maybe Isabelle had her own lesbian leanings?) and she did not want her mother to go upstairs initially, but then again she got bent out over the burned blouse. It was their just desserts and the ends always justifies the means.

It was great to see how terrific JM was in the early part of her career at the age she could play innocent roles. Now that she's 34 she tried to "break out" by her role in FOAF but that's was not enough as the movie did not do that well and had mediocre reviews. She needs a STRONG, LARGER THAN BIG, LEAD role in the Kate Winslet mode to really get her career off the ground here in the USA. In the States she is virtually unknown and I fear it's because of her extraordinary use/need of privacy which may hurt her down the road. She said that she needs to act but if she wants to become much wealthier than she already is (I do not believe she is hurting for money) she's got to get her feet wet and cross the pond VERY SOON. Will somebody out there please get JM her star billing on the top of the marquee AS SOON AS POSSIBLE? Her days as only a "supporting/character" actress need to end.

[janehstein]

I saw SMS a few weeks ago and saw the French version Murderous Maids on the Papin sisters last night. I was wondering if anyone else on the board had seen both films as well. If so, what did you all think of them? I was interested in what you thought of JM's portrayal of Lea vs. Julie-Marie Parmentier's portrayal of the same character. I thought J-MP had a much bigger role and acted more mentally challenged than JM did. It showed how much more controlling Christine was of her younger sister. However, I am NOT negating JM's fine performance. Are there any other opinions over here?

[zippy]

Jane, you might want to read this thread. It's been discussed at great length and with much dimension. Once you've done that, you may have other things to share.

Also, I have an 11-page case study I wrote on the Papin sisters for a psych class a few years back if anyone is interested in reading.

[Katy]

Just added an old review of SMS from the New York Times in the Articles section.

I don't remember having included it before.

Katy