Review of Sisters (1973) by Daniel D — 19 Mar 2013

Sisters is my official introduction to De Palma, and it's a damn hard one to top. The low budget psychological thriller was highly flawed. The sound was in poor quality, and not always in sync. The supporting actors weren't always believable, and there were times when the movie itself wasn't believable. But despite this all the film had me hooked from the opening scene where it's a view in the womb. Then the cheesy TV show scene dragged me farther in, and it kept me until the credits. The film is intense, and while it is an imitation of Hitchcock, it's not just some poser. Sisters had many distinctive unique qualities, and is on par with most of Hitches filmography. The dual camera scenes were fascinating. This is something most critics of the film can agree on, and it's perhaps the idea that stands out the most. I'm still not sure how I feel about the end, it was certainly hypnotic, but I'm not sure if it crossed the line. De Palma uses plenty of exploitation in the film, but I found this was a large benefit. Kidder and Jennifer Salt both went all in with their acting, and it paid off. This is a masterpiece, but it might be the most flawed masterpiece I've seen.

4 stars-.