Sisters

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Jessica Brunetto’s directorial debut Sisters premiered at SXSW 2021 and quickly staked its claim as a darling of the narrative short category. Running at a slim sixteen minutes, Sisters accomplishes what many feature-length films fail to – it shows audiences what’s happening, rather than telling them. This short film manages to pack a lifetime of sibling rivalry, failures to launch and complicated mother-daughter dynamics into the story without losing sight of its plot, heart or humor. Sisters is sure to leave viewers wanting more of the titular sisters, out of both concern and morbid curiosity.

Andy (Mary Holland) and Emily (Sarah Burns) are sisters and their comatose mother (Florence C.M. Klein) is dying. When they meet back up at their mother’s house to say goodbye and get her affairs in order they realize that they don’t know much about each other at all. Andy is a struggling actress who pretends to have a handle on her career. Emily is a devoted daughter, but her commitment is a distraction from her failing marriage and difficulty conceiving. The two sisters couldn’t be more different, but they’re both struggling to stay afloat, different manifestations of how family dynamics can shape the trajectory of our lives.

Jessica Brunetto, who wrote, directed and produced Sisters has a clear understanding of the dark comedy that exists within every family – and has no problem digging into those wounds to find deeper truths and heartier laughs. A career film editor, Brunetto is just as skilled behind the camera as she is in the cutting room. She has assembled a small but phenomenal cast in Sarah Burns and Mary Holland, who carry the film with ease. Even Florence C.M. Klein, who spends a majority of the role motionless in bed, has moments of subtle expression that add emotional layers to the film. Audiences get the sense that despite the sister denying it, their mother can hear them bickering and (eventually) healing.

Sisters are the definition of small but mighty. Compact and dialogue-heavy, this short film defies the pitfalls of other verbose films with expert pacing and a satisfying payoff. These are two sisters whose hijinks could easily fill up a feature-length runtime or even an irreverent sitcom. There’s an emotional depth to the film that is begging to be explored from outside the confines of a short, but for now, this little dramedy will simply have to do. Will these sisters make it? Will their plan work out in their favor? These are all questions viewers are left with and boy is it fun to wonder.