The idea that the servants might one day rise up against their masters provides the germ for any number of dramas based on class conflict. In 1932, the real-life rebellion of two sisters who worked as maids in a French household turned out to be the stuff not just of drama, but of nightmare. As Sister My Sister, a film based on these true events, opens, we see that something has gone terribly, murderously wrong. Yet when the film jumps back to the sisters beginning their joint employment in the Danzard household, nothing seems out of the ordinary. What has happened, and why?

The events behind the story have made their way to film on various occasions, including the lackluster Murderous Maids. In a mere 85 minutes of running time, Sister My Sister focuses tightly on the core elements of the story: the developing relationship between Lea (Jodhi May) and Christine (Joely Richardson), the two sisters, and their employers, Madame Danzard (Julie Walters) and her daughter. The film stays almost exclusively inside the house, emphasizing the strict constraints on the lives of the sisters, who are equally at the mercy of their employer and their dominating off-screen mother.

There's not much character development, in the usual sense of the word; we don't know much about either Christine or Lea, except that they cling to each other as their only sources of love and compassion in a world that treats them as disposable workers, hardly even recognized as human beings. What Sister My Sister does handle well is the creation of an atmosphere of dread and horror, as the obsessive strictness of Madame Danzard turns to cruelty and pushes the limits of the two women. There aren't even any other servants in the house, so Lea and Christine are totally isolated. With no way out of the situation, no one to turn to, and absolutely no power in their end of the employer-employee relationship, the increasing pressure eventually results in a spectacular blowup.

I found Sister My Sister to be a quite satisfying film on my first viewing, but when I watched it again to review it, it lacked the chilling effectiveness and shocking nature of the first viewing. This is a film that plays on breaking taboos, both social and sexual, and does a good job of catching the viewer by surprise. It's not so effective if you know exactly what happens and how it all unfolds, but it does make for a creepy first viewing.

The DVD

Video

Sister My Sister is a prime example of how a bad transfer can make an otherwise good movie unappealing; there's no doubt in my mind that the film is far less enjoyable seen like this than if it were presented properly.

What's the matter with the transfer? We'll start with the aspect ratio, which is 1.33:1, though during the credits, it's minimally windowboxed to what looks like 1.66:1. Since the DVD doesn't display any "formatted to fit your screen" message, I entertained the possibility that the film was being shown at its original aspect ratio, but that optimistic theory doesn't hold water: Sister My Sister's theatrical aspect ratio was 1.85:1. Though the film's oddly claustrophobic cinematography muddies the water a bit, it's plain enough at various points that we're missing information on the sides of the image. Whether it's been pan-and-scanned or simply had the sides cropped I'm not sure, but in any case I think we can be sure this isn't how it's supposed to look.

But don't think that the low video rating is just for the cropping... frankly, Sister My Sister would get a similar score even if it were at its correct ratio, because the transfer is awful. It looks like a straight port from VHS... maybe even a VHS tape of a television broadcast. The image is blurry and wavery, with ample noise and flaws. There are even some instances of interference lines. On top of it all, the colors are muted and muddy, giving everything a mousy brownish tint.

Audio

The two soundtracks included here are a Dolby 5.1 and a Dolby 2.0, which is an exercise in pointlessness, as the 5.1 track has no discernible surround sound whatsoever to distinguish it from the 2.0 track. The sound quality is mediocre at best, with dialogue sounding flat and soggy. There are no real problems with the sound, though, so it squeaks by with an average mark.

Extras

There are a few special features included here: a trailer for the film, cast biographies, and a set of trailers for other Koch Lorber films (Pigalle, God Is Great, Safe Conduct, and On Guard).

Final thoughts

Sister My Sister is a film that falls squarely in the "rent it" category for several reasons. The first is that while it's a well-done film that's worth watching if you're in the mood for something disturbing, it doesn't have much replay value, making it a good candidate for a rental. The other reason for the "rent it" recommendation is that the transfer is simply awful, with the image not just chopped from widescreen to 1.33:1, but also just plain bad-looking. Even if you love the film, you won't want to actually buy this particular release. Rent it.