Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Amari-Sali After seeing Blue is the Warmest Color (or Colour) I thought I should look for other films Lea Seydoux did, and months ago I was recommended to see this by someone on IMDb. So I finally got around to getting this movie, which likely will not be the last time I review a Seydoux movie, and though the movie wasn't on the level of Blue is the Warmest Color, it still was quite entertaining. Well, at least the second half.Characters & StoryIn the film, our focus primarily is on Simon (played by Kacey Mottet Klein) who helps Louise (played by Lea Seydoux) with the bills by stealing from the local ski resort's tourist and reselling their merchandise. The two live close enough to said ski resort for Simon to "find" a lot of skis, goggles, gloves, and pockets to go through, to make sure him and Louise have food on the table. And during the first half of the movie it seems like this is all Simon does as Louise wanders about with whatever boy fancies her at the time.However, in the middle of the film a bomb is dropped and quickly the tone of the film changes and it goes from having this almost coming of age vibe to getting a bit darker, and a bit more morose. I won't reveal why, but with something Simon says, we see his and Louise's relationship in a whole new way. Then, from that point of the movie onward, the focus is on the layers to that issue which, though perhaps simple on paper, are portrayed with such complexity that you almost wish this bomb was dropped sooner in the film.PraiseWhat I must admit is that I feel like the climax was quite a bit surprising and did help shake the movie. For the first half of the film was really ho hum, but once the climax hits is when you get great performances out of Klein, as well as Seydoux. As in Blue, Seydoux plays a girl full of mystery, but with her stripped of Emma's education and opportunities, Louise is simply someone trying to survive the best way she knows how, and while she doesn't outdo Klein as she outdid Adele Exarchopoulos in Blue, she remains an essential force of which you can't picture the movie without, be it her character or simply her.But Klein is perhaps truly the one who deserves praise. For though Seydoux maybe putting him up on her shoulders, the boy makes you feel for his character who seemingly just wants the most genuine love and affection from Louise, even if it means paying for it. I mean, to watch him, a 12 year old, be in a helpless situation with someone who he loves, who would openly tell him no one wanted him when his mother was pregnant, is a bit heartbreaking. And yet, the woman who tells him this he loves for there is really no one else anymore. So no matter how mean, or how much they may struggle, she is his everything and he accepts her for reasons which sometimes are hard to understand.CriticismBut, I must say that when I first started watching the movie I was ready to turn it off. Us getting to know Simon as a kleptomaniac who sells people's stuff to make ends meet, while interesting, got old quick as we watch him sell stuff, make a partner in selling skis and all that. Then, Seydoux in the beginning, to me anyway, was just this shallow written young adult who seemingly was dependent on her kid brother while she hanged around some boy. And though there was mentions of her working, we don't see that till the end so you easily forget she does more than possibly take advantage of Simon's affections for her. But, as a whole, once the 2nd half hits you can forgive the first half for it really is just made to set things up so the 2nd half can pack a punch.Overall: Rental/ VODHonestly, this is more so a TV viewing type film, but I am not sure if this would play on TV so I have to push it up to a rental. For while I did like the movie, I must admit I am comparing it to Blue and in comparison, while I remain a fan of Seydoux and plan to see more of her work in the coming months, this film just doesn't seem like it is worth spending money on unless you are a fan of Seydoux or Klein, assuming he is still acting. Still though, I think this is definitely worth watching on a Sunday afternoon and though the film may seem like it lacks direction in the first half, once the 2nd half hits you will see the both performers finally put on a show which may not be the full extent of their talents, but definitely gives you enough of a taste to want to see more from them.

knucklebreather In "Sister", we find 12-year-old Simon living a desperate life with his sister Louise in cheap public housing in an industrial town near (but literally below) a ski resort inhabited by the ultra wealthy. Louise works sporadically cleaning ski chateaus, while Simon seems to be the main breadwinner through his dubious job of swiping ski equipment and selling it as a one-man black market.This sad story is presented in an atmospheric, minimalist way, making full use of the picturesque setting, yet managing to make the grandeur of the mountains and the luxury of the ski resort mostly just serve to make the viewer aware of the sadness of the two main characters. The movie is definitely sociological in nature, making the viewer wish some outside party would intervene and help with this horrible situation. No particular moral or message is presented, I'm not sure one is implied even subtly, except that the world can be a very sad place for people at the bottom, even in a place like Switzerland that is often portrayed as an ideal society (it certainly isn't in this movie).The only fault I could really find was that the movie dwells for so long on Simon's thefts in the first half of the movie, which are not all that entertaining, and beyond establishing that his life is like that, I'm not sure that we really needed the full 45 minutes of him being a ski resort kleptomaniac. Nothing else in the movie felt unnecessary, or even worthy of criticism... for what it is trying to be, this movie is quite good, especially in the second half.My only advice is to not expect anything upbeat. I found this movie rather depressing. That hardly means it's not a good movie, of course. Just brace yourself for one sad slice of life.

niutta-enrico This movie is surely more than worth to be seen: I've been so impressed that I kept thinking for days about the characters and their fate and wishing them my best.So, as you have probably understood the film is touching, let's say moving. Can't say if it is more the rare beauty of Louise or the remarkable talent of Simon for getting by that will affect you the most but be sure that you'll feel involved in the story as if you'd be part of it.Needless to say that the acting is perfect, the scenes are catching and the dialogue most natural. I wonder whether is it a true story or not. I hope it is, otherwise I'd have to think that there is some kind of sadism in Ursula Meier's imagination.

Turfseer 'Sister' is the Swiss entry for both the Academy and Spirit Award nomination in the best foreign language film category. It's a very well-acted, bleak portrait of the relationship between a 12/13 year old boy, Simon, and his older caretaker, Louise, played by Léa Seydoux.HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD. For a good part of the film, we're led to believe that Louise, is Simon's older sister, after Simon claims that their parents were killed in a car accident. Eventually, however, it's revealed that Louise is actually the child's mother.Most of the plot takes place at a Swiss ski resort, where Simon mainly pilfers expensive skis and ski accessories from well-off, unsuspecting tourists and supports himself and his mother, by selling the items (principally to employees at the resort). Along the way, Simon befriends a British resort employee who helps him sell some of the stolen merchandise. On one occasion, a tourist catches Simon stealing from him and the child suffers a beating, resulting in a bloody nose and bruises on his body (do you really believe, no one at the resort would have called the police on their cell phone, when they saw an adult attack a young child?).Louise makes it clear to Simon that she never wanted him and refuses to hardly parent him at all. The unloved boy is so desperate for affection that he offers her money, if she'll just cuddle him in bed. Meanwhile, Louise refuses to support the two, and for most of the film, selfishly takes money from the boy to support herself. She also seeks out abusive boyfriends, ignores the effect those relationships have on Simon and often leaves the child to his own devices.It becomes rather clear that Simon's criminality is tied directly to Louise's neglect and extremely poor parenting. You'll have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit to believe that there are people as extreme as Louise. In real life, wouldn't a narcissist like Louise, simply make sure Simon goes to school, to keep him out of her hair? And if he ends up as a truant, the authorities would have no problem shipping him off to reform school. Yes I know she's supposed to be out of it, but it just seems a little too convenient, that no ever reports her and little Simon gets away with his pint size theft routine, for so long. And also what exactly is director Usrula Meier's overall point? That without love, kids can end up with some really bad problems? Even before Simon poaches the watch, causing Louise to lose her job, we pretty much realize that Simon's downward spiral will not reverse course (in other words, we GET the point that this indeed, is a TRAGIC situation, way before the denouement). Yes, it's clever and dramatic to show the two going in opposite directions on the cable lift at film's end, symbolizing that Simon will not get the help he needs from his mother, but how about letting reality intrude into the story for a minute? The appropriate ending would be for some social workers to intervene and place the child in foster care or some kind of institutional setting. But this film is more about hitting us over the head about the 'tragedy' of this grim relationship, instead of establishing a proper verisimilitude.'Sister's weak point is the rather one-note, simplistic portrait of the mother from hell. Are there people like that in real life? Maybe. But usually there's some kind of motive (is she a drug addict? Prostitute?)--it's all so sketchy. Why not find out a little bit more about her? Or is she so one-dimensional, that there's nothing more to learn?What keeps us interested is how far Simon will sink into the morass of criminality. In that respect, Meier is more successful in fascinating us as voyeurs in a crime drama, than the more unexplained and obvious dissection of a broken relationship between mother and child.