What It’s About
Twelve-year-old Simon (Klein) lives hand-to-mouth with his older sister Louise (Seydoux) in a shabby apartment complex just below a luxury ski resort in the Swiss Alps. He’s the family breadwinner, infiltrating the resort each day to steal skis, boots, goggles, and gloves, which he then resells. Meanwhile, Louise seems lost and broken, going from one transient relationship to another. Will this tiny, dysfunctional family survive?
Why We Love It
Director Meier, who also co-wrote the script, based her story on personal experience, having grown up in the same area and recalling a boy who always skied alone and was suspected of being a thief. This intimate, wrenching tale of haves and have-nots, of life eked out on the margins, soars thanks to a sensitive script and superb performances from the whole cast, including Seydoux, whose Louise breaks your heart, and young Klein, who won a Cesar for most promising actor. Anderson also registers in her first French-language film as an affluent English tourist. This “Sister” demands to be seen.