À ma soeur! (2001)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Writer:

Catherine Breillat (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 2001 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A new provocation from the director of "Romance"

Plot:

A Ma Soeur! is a provocative and shocking drama about sibling rivalry, family discord and relationships...

Plot Keywords:

Overweight | Fat Girl | Family Vacation | Child Nudity | Candy

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Anaïs Reboux	...	Anaïs Pingot
Roxane Mesquida	...	Elena Pingot
Libero De Rienzo	...	Fernando
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Mother
Romain Goupil	...	François Pingot / Father
Laura Betti	...	Fernando's Mother
Albert Goldberg	...	The Killer
Odette Barrière	...	Friend at Residence
Ann Matthijsse	...	Friend at Residence
Pierre Renverseau	...	Friend at Residence
Jean-Marc Boulanger	...	Friend at Residence
Frederick Bodin	...	Waiter
Michel Guillemin	...	Janitor
Josette Cathalan	...	Saleswoman
Claude Sese	...	Police Officer

Also Known As:

Fat Girl (International: English title) (USA)
For My Sister (Australia) (International: English title) (literal title)
A mia sorella! (Italy)

Runtime:

USA:86 min | France:83 min | UK:81 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Sweden:15 (TV rating) | Australia:R | Canada:(Banned) (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (2005) | Canada:R (Alberta) | Canada:R (Ontario) (re-rating) (2003) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (uncut) | South Korea:18 (re-rating on appeal) (uncut) | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (2002) (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

CB Films

Trivia:

Won 5 major international awards within 2 years.

Quotes:

Anaïs Pingot: I want my first time to be with someone I don't love.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Nobuyoshi Araki/The Music of X: The Soundtrack of Sex/Catherine Breillat (#5.2)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

J'ai mis mon coeur a pourrir

A polished film from Breillat on her usual themes of sexuality

Director Breillat is back and, as she did with "Romance", pushing the bounds of censorship in an intellectually challenging fashion. The story follows the sexual development of two sisters in their early teens. Their middle class family embody the usual social mores and protective attitudes. Moreover, the story makes us aware of the legal dilemma of under age sex, undertaken as a matter of conscious choice and with proper protection by the 15-year old (older) sister with a boyfriend only a few years her senior (ie the relationship would be legal in Netherlands but not in many countries, including France). These are two fairly "normal" sisters, although the younger one is excessively overweight and only fantasizes about getting a boyfriend. There is some possible interpretation that the 15-year old's psychological development would progress more soundly were she not (initially) fettered by taboos over her own virginity. In one scene, a TV in the background has a Breillat-type character being interviewed and giving her philosophy about the intrinsic nature of sex, how it is something common to us all and that can be understood by anyone, and that we are all alike inasmuch as no-one is perfect. The characters and scenes are painted brilliantly, the sibling rivalry coupled with intense sisterly bonding, the mother driving at night and, as many people will have, with a lack of sleep and so not as perfectly safely as normal. It is the realism and ordinariness of the situations that keep us on the edge of our seats. The dialogue has the realism that suggests youngsters may have suggested some of the lines, with their observations that have the power to startle us out of complacency. The use of actors so young in fairly explicit scenes will be a matter of great concern, but Breillat is serious about her work and convinces us that she is not pandering to sensationalism but raising valid questions about how we effectively handle the challenges presented by precocious adolescents. The film is more polished than Breillat's earlier work and has an unnerving denouement, well-delivered.