Lynn Shelton’s intimate dramatic comedy Your Sister’s Sister takes a twisted path through the minefield of love as it surrenders any pretense of Hollywood cliché and traditional romance in favor of exploring how people negotiate repairing different bonds in the face of perceived betrayal. Walking us through it are Mark Duplass (a long-time proponent of naturally, spontaneously realized drama and comedy), Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie DeWitt as two sister’s and a best friend who tangle themselves up in a secluded cabin and do their best to straighten things out to everyone’s satisfaction. Of course, they each have a different definition of satisfactory and secrets they’re happier not telling. And while the ending is a bit too conveniently and quickly wrapped up to let the film’s dramatic and comedic beats fully land, it’s still full of lots of funny and tender moments.
Reeling from the death of his brother and soured by the seemingly rosy, idyllic view his brother’s friends held of him, Jack (Duplass) vents his drunken frustrations during a gathering and takes up Iris (Blunt) on her offer to spend a weekend by himself at her family’s cabin up in the woods. Jack arrives late at night only discover it’s already in use by Hannah (DeWitt), Iris’s older sister, and after an awkward encounter they drink away the night and end up in bed with one another. It’s a decision Jack comes to regret for a number of reasons, chief among them being his long-time attraction to Iris and her appearance the next day. The initial decision to hide their one-night stand quickly falls apart, and soon all three of them are forced to reevaluate how they see one another in the fallout.
The chemistry between Blunt, DeWitt, and Duplass allows the film to play out in a series of events whose every emotion hits home. The laughs, when they come, are solid and offer a brief respite before diving back into the emotional gut punch of coming to terms with a single drunken mistake with lasting consequences.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
A trailer and two audio commentaries round out the disc, and if you have to choose, I’d recommend the commentary with Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass.
"Your Sister's Sister" is on sale November 6, 2012 and is rated R. Comedy, Drama. Written and directed by Lynn Shelton. Starring Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Rosemarie DeWitt .
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