Review of Sisters (1973) by Kevin D — 19 Apr 2011

I have always been divided on DePalma. I find Scarface an overrated disaster and Mission Impossible forgettable, but know that he is held in high regard by some directors that I respect. Unsettled by my inability to compartmentalize him in my mind, I have decided to go back and check out some more of his earlier work. After starting with Sisters, I can now see that I may be in for quite an uncompromising journey.

Sisters is a smorgasboard of influences. I can see why some people see DePalma as a modern day Hitchcock, as half of this film feels like the lovechild of Rear Window & Rope with a little dash of exploitation thrown in there. However, this description is more satisfying than the actual film as it is prone to fly off of the handle and often wonders off into the absurd. Maybe that is the tone he was going for. Is this supposed to be a very black comedy? I am willing to accept the fact that maybe I am not yet accustomed to DePalma's work and maybe the tone flew right over my head.

This doesn't mean that I didn't get anything from the film. The split-screen segment is really well structured and one can not help but be amazed at how easy he makes it look. He is clearly a competent director with the right influences guiding him, I guess I just wonder in the end what he is really trying to accomplish. The film feels muddled and lacking a real focus. In fact, it making it difficult to write a review about it, so I am just going to stop.