Product Details

• Actors: Julie Walters, Joely Richardson, Jodhi May, Sophie Thursfield, Amelda Brown
• Directors: Nancy Meckler
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Unapix Consumer Products
• VHS Release Date: November 19, 1996
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304137184
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,167 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Christine (Joely Richardson) and Lea (Jodhi May) are sisters who were separated at a young age. Through Christine's clever machinations, they have been reunited by working as maids for a very proper lady and her bored and restless daughter. When the already passionate bond between the sisters becomes sexual, it sets up a series of events that lead to tragedy. Set in 1932 France, this film is supposedly based on a true story. Viewers looking for a sort of Playboy meets Merchant-Ivory romp will have to look elsewhere--the sex here is very discreet. Instead what we get is a nifty little piece of suspense and psychological horror that features taut direction, a smart script, spotless production values, and a topnotch cast. Julie Walters is marvelously funny--and scary--as the lady of the house who "sees everything" (but actually can't see beyond the tip of her nose), and Joely Richardson is heartbreaking as a seemingly self-reliant woman who is terrified of having her sister taken away again. --Geof Miller

From the back cover

An act of shocking violence catapults a picturesque little town into history in this amazing true story. Julie Walters stars as the head of a perfectly respectable household that is not what it seems. The close sibling relationship between her two maids takes on a new dimension as she discovers a sexual fever between the two sisters. The tensions reach the breaking point in a film you'll find both beautiful and horrifying.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TRUE CRIME STORY-The High Crimes Of France's Papin Sisters, April 5, 2004

By	Sheila Chilcote-Collins "Sheila Renee Chilcot... (Collinswood, Van Wert, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sister My Sister (DVD)

Set in the 1930's, in the small town of Le Mans in France, two sisters, Christine, the eldest & Lea, the kyounger, are hired on as cook and chambermaid to an upper middle-class widow & her only daughter, Madame and Madamoiselle Lancelin. Based on France's true crime of the century, Julie Walters as the perfectionistic & haughty, Madame Lancelin & Joely Richardson as the eldest master manipulator sister, Christine Papin turn in EXCEPTIONAL performances & the rest of the cast is well above average in their undertakings also.

In February, 1933, the whole of France was horrified to learn of an unspeakably savage double murder that had taken
place in the town of Le Mans. Two respectable, middle-class women, mother and daughter, had been murdered by their
maids, two sisters who lived in the house. The maids had not simply killed the women, but had gouged their eyes out
with their fingers while they were alive and had then used a hammer and knife to reduce both women to a bloody pulp.
The full force of the attack was directed at the heads and the victims were left literally unrecognizable.

Adding the bizarre to the horrifying, the sisters made no attempt to escape (...) Interesting, no? This naturally added a dimension of scandal and titillation to the case. Were the maids having a sexual relationship? If so, it was both homosexual and incestuous. Overnight, the two sisters, aged 21 and 27, became France's most infamous couples who kill.

This film delves into all the speculation of the case but also has some unexplained parts about the sisters' youth & their obvious mistreatment & abuse.

There are quite a many double entendres & a look into both couples chiefly meaning the two sisters and the mother and daughter Lancelin relationships. Many similarities occur between Madame Lancelin & Christine as far as their perfectionistic attitudes & control issues. The Madamoiselle Lancelin & Lea Papin also have commonalities inasmuch they are both trapped, shy and easily influenced by the former...

Highly interesting & thought provoking movie. Especially since it REALLY HAPPENED!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing British lesbian incest melodrama, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

Sister My Sister is like "Heavenly Creatures" with more sex and less madness. It simply lacks the nuanced believability of "Creatures'" Paulie and Juliet's descent into madness as well as "Creatures'" top-notch production values. That said, any movie that even deems comparison with the now-classic Heavenly Creatures is clearly good and worth-seeing in some respects. And indeed, Sister My Sister creates a claustrophobic, quietly sickening atmosphere which left an intriguing grab on my emotions.

Jodhi May and Joely Richardson star as unnaturally close sisters, Leah and Christine. The two work as maids for a sadistic gentlewoman (Julie Davies, Mrs. Weasely in Harry Potter) and her adult daughter that she endlessly oppresses. Through various sisterly activities and excellent acting by both May and Richardson, they are completely believable as sisters. Thus their eventual sexual relationship not only intellectually but emotionally feels incestual, a nuanced feat that the filmmakers effectively pulled off.

But what drives Leah and Christine to become lovers and later criminals? Their despotic employer? Too close of quarters? Pre-existing emotional instability? I believe the answer is all three, and speculation seems warranted since this movie is in fact based on a true story, the sensationalistic crime that shocked (and also entertained) 1930's France... the OJ Simpson case of the time...

The primary reason to see this movie is not for a history lesson though. It is about the drama between the sisters, as their relationship evolves towards progressively extreme heights. And it is for this drama that the film should be seen. What keeps it all afloat is the fantastic acting on display. Joely Richardson, an actress who's appeared in a lot of cheese since making this movie (Event Horizon, the Parent Trap) proves her adeptness as she plays an essentially unlikeable character and acrobatically makes her sympathetic and compelling throughout the entire film.

Jodhi May's performance as Leah is another example of this actress's ability and charm. She respects and looks up to her big sister, Christine, and as this admiration grows into lust, May makes this transition tragic AND tender. She is an actress who acts with her eyes. And throughout Sister My Sister hers seem to assess every situation with maximum articulateness. May's performance should have been a wake-up call to any Hollywood producer with a brain. This IS the girl.

Despite May's expert character development, most of the movie suffers from lack of transition. The ending seems a little abrupt. In Heavenly Creatures everything built up to the climax. In Sister My Sister, a good twenty more minutes would have helped in properly building the tension towards the final, tragic act.

Overall, I recommend this movie. Jodhi May and Joely Richardson make it entertaining and emotionally affecting.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the forgotten films, August 10, 2000

By	George W. Albertina (Mastic Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sister My Sister (DVD)

A film of amazing patience, and timing. All the performances are first rate. The story (a true one nonetheless) is compelling. It's a passionate, heart breaking and horrifying experience ! This film is one of the forgotten gems of the 90's. Have you heard of it before ? I didn't think so. But make sure you see it or get this DVD. The films finale and final sound (the elder sister screaming her younger sister's name) is harrowing, and unforgettable. Pretty good for a film that was forgotten by everyone else.