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Discover Tuesdays presents... SISTER
Discover stunning cinema. Whether it's a cult classic, an art-house gem or a riveting documentary, there will always be a chance to see something different and brilliant in our weekly slot.
SISTER (15)
Tuesday 19 February
Director: Ursula Meier. Starring: Kacey Mottet Klein, Léa Seydoux, Gillian Anderson. France/Switzerland 2012. 97 mins. English and French with English subtitles.
Its original title, L’ENFANT D’EN HAUT, means ‘the child from on high’, and as its protagonist, 12-year-old Simon (Mottet Klein), ascends from his squalid tower-block home to the Alpine peaks aboard a ski lift, the symbolism of Ursula Meier’s affecting drama could not be clearer. Simon steals skiing equipment from wealthy visitors, not to buy fancy trainers or an Xbox, but to feed himself and his apparently indolent sister Louise (Seydoux). But behind his breadwinning bravado, Simon harbours a shocking secret, revealed only when he finds himself in competition with his sister’s lover. Along with co-writer Antoine Jaccoud (LEAVING), Meier, in only her second feature, shuns easy sentimentality with her measured yet persuasive style, aided by equally credible performances from Gillian Anderson as a sympathetic tourist and Martin Compston as the chef who colludes with Simon’s crimes.
