Sister My Sister Movie Review

While it's by no means flawless, Sister My Sister has it all over The Maids. Based on a true French murder case, set in Le Mans, the story revolves around the Papin sisters, Christine, 28 (Joely Richardson), and Lea, 21 (Jodhi May). The two maids are treated like dirt by their employer Madame Lancelin, changed to Ranzard for the film (Julie Walters). With no other allies, they depend on each other for everything until the domestic situation reaches the boiling point, then it's Au Revoir, Madame, and Mademoiselle, too. Mademoiselle was Genevieve Lancelin, 27, changed to Isabelle Danzard for the film (Sophie Thursfield). Both were found brutally murdered on the evening of February 2. Their maids were found huddled together in bed, naked. The case fascinated intellectuals of 1933, who read Christine's confession in the newspapers: “I'd rather have had the skin of my mistresses than that they should have had mine or my sister's. I did not plan my crime and I didn't feel any hatred toward them.” The sisters were both found to be sane and guilty. Christine was originally sentenced to death, then to a life of hard labor. Instead, she went mad and was dead within four years. Lea was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, was released, and then lived a life of quiet obscurity. Director Nancy Meckler and screenwriter Wendy Kellelman show how the nerves of all four women were at the breaking point. Madame was used to dominating her daughter, Christine was used to dominating her sister. Madame expected her orders to be obeyed, it did not occur to her that by only obsessing on the maids’ faults and never on their accomplishments, she was contributing to a toxic atmosphere which, tragically, could only be relieved with violence. By focusing on the emotional landscape of Madame's house, we see the Maids of Le Mans as the sad, neglected, futureless creatures they really were.

1994 (R) 89m/C GB Julie Walters, Joely Richardson, Jodhi May, Sophie Thursfield; D: Nancy Meckler; W: Wendy Kellelman; C: Ashley Ropwe; M: Stephen Warbeck. VHS