Your Sister's Sister

Director: Lynn Shelton Lynn Shelton

Overview

A man struggling with his feelings following a death in the family throws himself into an even more uncomfortable situation in this independent comedy-drama from filmmaker Lynn Shelton. A year after the death of his brother, Jack (Mark Duplass) is still having a hard time dealing with his loss, and when he has an emotional outburst at a family get-together, Iris (Emily Blunt) steps in to offer some help. Iris is one of Jack's closest friends and was also dating his brother at the time of his death; Iris' family has a cottage on Puget Sound, and she suggests Jack bike up there and take some time to come to terms with his troubles. Jack accepts her offer, but when he arrives at the cabin, he discovers it's occupied by Iris' sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt), who is in need of some alone time after breaking up with her lover. Jack and Hannah discuss their heartache over a bottle of tequila, and end up stumbling into bed. The next morning, Iris arrives, and Jack is desperate to keep her from learning he had sex with her sister; Hannah agrees not to tell, but as she bonds with Jack, she also senses his feelings for Iris aren't as platonic as he cares to admit. Your Sister's Sister received its world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/2012
UPC:	0030306957791
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	R
Source:	MPI HOME VIDEO
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	57,813

Special Features

Trailer; Filmmaker & Crew Commentary; Commentary With Writer/Director Lynn Shelton & Star Mark Duplass

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Emily Blunt	Iris
Rosemarie DeWitt	Hannah
Mark Duplass	Jack
Mike Birbiglia	Al
Mike Harring	Tom,Actor
Pete Erickson	Tom's Friend
Evan Mosher	Tom's Friend
Jennifer Maas	Tom's Friend
Jeanette Maus	Tom's Friend
Dori Hana-Scherer	Tom's Friend
Steve Snoey	Tom's Friend
Dusty Warren	Tom's Friend,Tom's Friend
Mel Eslyn	Photography Studio Crew Member
Katie Jarvis	Photography Studio Crew Member
Nathan M. Miller	Photography Studio Crew Member
Nathan Miller	Photography Studio Crew Member
Norm Tumolva	Photography Studio Crew Member
Kate Bayley	Waitress
Jason Braggs	Diner Patron
Lee Luna	Diner Patron
Petra Kjorsvik	Diner Patron
Kimberly Chin	Mother,Young Boy #1,Young Boy #2
James Dodson	Tom's Friend
Jeremy Mackie	Photography Studio Crew Member
Vinny Smith	Composer
John Lavin	Diner Patron
Dori Hana Scherer	Actor

Technical Credits

Lynn Shelton

Lynn Shelton	Director,Screenwriter
Steven Schardt	Producer
Vallejo Gantner	Executive Producer
Jennifer Roth	Executive Producer
Vinny Smith	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound Mixer
Rosemarie DeWitt	Consultant/advisor
Mike Birbiglia	Consultant/advisor
Emily Blunt	Consultant/advisor
Mark Duplass	Consultant/advisor

Editorial Reviews

An intimate character study, Lynn Shelton's Your Sister's Sister benefits from three solid lead performances that capture the nuances in her deceptively straightforward script. Mark Duplass stars as Jack, a lost young man still mourning his brother's death a year later. His best friend Iris (Emily Blunt), who also happens to be his brother's ex-girlfriend, orders him to get away from it all by going to her family's secluded cottage and getting his head straight. When he arrives, he discovers that Iris' half sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) is already there. They have an awkward initial meeting, but that night they end up sharing a bottle of booze and baring their souls to each other -- she's getting over the end of a lengthy romance with a former girlfriend -- which eventually leads to drunken sex. Iris unexpectedly shows up the following morning, and Jack wants to keep the activities from the night before a secret because he's in love with Iris, even though he can't quite admit it. Over a couple of days, each of these three people will reveal hidden motivations, reopen old wounds, and try to figure out what it is they really want. Growing steadily over the course of her first few films, Shelton flowers as a writer and director with Your Sister's Sister. The characters' flaws are as apparent as their strengths, and although the plot structure seems obvious in retrospect, the understated performances and the actors' conversational tone make it seem that everything happens because of choices these characters are making rather than the choices a screenwriter is making. Duplass isn't afraid to play up Jack's most annoying traits. He appears to be as lazy as he is heartbroken, and he's quick to assign blame to others while deflecting it from himself; however, he's also a charming guy who is eager to help those who feel as bad as he does. Emily Blunt gives Iris a specificity that helps ground what is probably the least fleshed-out character in the piece. She seems to exist only in how she reacts to Jack and Hannah, but Blunt makes her idiosyncrasies feel like traits rather than quirks, and she has beautiful wide eyes that compellingly communicate intense romantic longing. However, it's Rosemarie DeWitt who ends up dominating the movie -- largely because she has the best part. Hannah is sphinxlike much of the time -- we're not sure exactly what she wants -- until a major plot point is unveiled and we finally understand why she's behaved as she has. Shelton develops a sense of intimacy in this film, both as a writer and a director. She frames the actors purposefully, but naturally -- when characters share the screen and when they don't reveal a great deal. It's a small movie that works because everyone is on the same page tonally, and Shelton understands exactly what she's doing dramatically in every scene. She knows how to move the story along while capturing the feeling that these imperfect people are making up their lives as they go.