Review of Sisters, or The Balance of Happiness (1979) by Todd J — 17 Apr 2008

Margarethe von Trotta really stepped up her efforts for her sophomore film, offering smoother visuals, subtler characterizations, and a better sense of pacing. However, I will say that anyone who questions why I like to see director's films in chronological order should note that my experience with this film was greatly sullied by having seen von Trotta's best film, Marianne and Juliane, first.

While it's interesting to be able to see von Trotta working her way through similar themes, the parallels between Sisters and M&J really do a disservice to Sisters because almost everything done here is done better in the later film.

Well, that might be a disservice because Sisters does have quite a bit to offer. It's essentially a psychodrama about two sisters, one who works under a nice but demanding boss (his catchphrase is: "Order us a snack; it's gonna be a late night) and the younger who is studying for her finals for a degree program of some sort.

When the older sister's attentions are distracted by her boss' dreamy son (whose dissertation the boss has convinced our protagonist to type up in her spare time), things get rather desperate, and the highly disfunctional relationship between sisters is revealed.

From here, the film really turns into a psychodrama that functions on many of the same levels as the De Palma film of the same name. There's a twist that I'd rather not elaborate on the off-chance that anyone reading may be possessed to see the film, but after the midway point, the worker sister starts to develop a small psychosis of her own that carries the film to an ending that falls somewhere between inspiring and disturbing (I'm still not sure which).

Jutta Lampe puts on a great, nuanced performance that really drives the film as much as von Trotta's direction. The emotional transitions here aren't as detailed or realistic as her work in Marianne and Juliane, but the performance is damn fine on its own.

Some characters, such as the boss, turn to caricatures here and there, but it functions well enough to allow the central characters to really dive into some deep drama and psychoanalyzing. Some of the material, such as the romantic subplots involving the boss' son and a former yuppie-turned-folk rocker, falls pretty flat, but it's all service to the female bonding/disfunction narrative anyway, so I'm not going to be terribly picky.

The depiction of that disfunction is quite frightening though with von Trotta remaining unafraid to show just how damaging these relationships can be. The sexual energy between the sisters in the first half of the film and the subsequent domination that defines the relationship in the second half carries a very distinct thread of upcoming doom.

Whether or not the ending resolves it, I haven't figured out yet (I'm leaning toward yes), but the fact that von Trotta and Lampe can so easily shift the narrative and Maria's characterization makes this one a must-see on the level of M&J.

**** out've *****.