Sister, Sister (1987 film)
Encyclopedia
Sister, Sister is a 1987 Southern Gothic
thriller directed and co-written by Bill Condon
. The film stars Eric Stoltz
, Jennifer Jason Leigh
, and Judith Ivey
.
) goes on vacation to the Louisiana
bayou
country. He decides to stay at an old plantation house which is now a boarding house
owned by two sisters, Charlotte (Judith Ivey
) and Lucy (Jennifer Jason Leigh
).
Charlotte is in her 30s, in and out of love with the town sheriff, Cleve Doucet (Dennis Lipscomb
). Lucy is in her 20s and has a long history of mental illness and contact with the ghosts of several people who have died in a bayou near their home. Lucy falls in love with Matt, and the characters find themselves involved in murder, betrayal and dark secrets from the past, which are revealed gradually in flashback.
When Charlotte was a teenager and Lucy was a child, Matt's older brother Jud had tried to rape them and they had killed him in self-defense. But in panic they had dragged his body into a bayou and not reported the incident to anyone. Jud's death was a terrible secret only the sisters shared, and it was to some extent responsible for Lucy's mental problems.
But unknown to them, Matt – whom they had not known when they were younger – had witnessed the killing and has now returned under a false name to avenge his brother's death. Charlotte finally realizes who he is and what he plans to do. Lucy is still under his influence and almost helps him kill Charlotte, but she manages to escape. Matt takes Lucy to the same spot in the bayou where they had put Jud's body and tries to drown her, but an unidentified hand from beneath drags him down into the bayou and he dies instead.
As the movie ends, Charlotte finally is about to marry Cleve, but Lucy still suffers terrifying and violent visions of Matt.
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. It resembles its parent genre in that it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot...
thriller directed and co-written by Bill Condon
Bill Condon
William "Bill" Condon is an American screenwriter and director. Condon is best known for directing and writing the critically acclaimed films Gods and Monsters, Chicago, Kinsey, and Dreamgirls. In 1998, Condon debuted as a screenwriter in Gods and Monsters, which won him his first Academy Award....
. The film stars Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
, and Judith Ivey
Judith Ivey
Judith Lee Ivey is an American actress and director.-Personal life:Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee , a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean. She spent 1965-1968 in Dowagiac, Michigan, where she attended Union High School through tenth grade...
.
Plot summary
Matt Rutledge (Eric StoltzEric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
) goes on vacation to the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
bayou
Bayou
A bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
country. He decides to stay at an old plantation house which is now a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
owned by two sisters, Charlotte (Judith Ivey
Judith Ivey
Judith Lee Ivey is an American actress and director.-Personal life:Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee , a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean. She spent 1965-1968 in Dowagiac, Michigan, where she attended Union High School through tenth grade...
) and Lucy (Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
).
Charlotte is in her 30s, in and out of love with the town sheriff, Cleve Doucet (Dennis Lipscomb
Dennis Lipscomb
Dennis Lipscomb is an American actor.Lipscomb's first feature film was Union City . From the early 1980s to the 1990s, Lipscomb appeared in key roles in various motion pictures including Eyes of Fire , WarGames , The Day After , A Soldier's Story , Amazing Grace and Chuck , Sister, Sister , The...
). Lucy is in her 20s and has a long history of mental illness and contact with the ghosts of several people who have died in a bayou near their home. Lucy falls in love with Matt, and the characters find themselves involved in murder, betrayal and dark secrets from the past, which are revealed gradually in flashback.
When Charlotte was a teenager and Lucy was a child, Matt's older brother Jud had tried to rape them and they had killed him in self-defense. But in panic they had dragged his body into a bayou and not reported the incident to anyone. Jud's death was a terrible secret only the sisters shared, and it was to some extent responsible for Lucy's mental problems.
But unknown to them, Matt – whom they had not known when they were younger – had witnessed the killing and has now returned under a false name to avenge his brother's death. Charlotte finally realizes who he is and what he plans to do. Lucy is still under his influence and almost helps him kill Charlotte, but she manages to escape. Matt takes Lucy to the same spot in the bayou where they had put Jud's body and tries to drown her, but an unidentified hand from beneath drags him down into the bayou and he dies instead.
As the movie ends, Charlotte finally is about to marry Cleve, but Lucy still suffers terrifying and violent visions of Matt.
Cast
- Eric StoltzEric StoltzEric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
as Matt Rutledge - Jennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
as Lucy Bonnard - Judith IveyJudith IveyJudith Lee Ivey is an American actress and director.-Personal life:Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee , a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean. She spent 1965-1968 in Dowagiac, Michigan, where she attended Union High School through tenth grade...
as Charlotte Bonnard - Dennis LipscombDennis LipscombDennis Lipscomb is an American actor.Lipscomb's first feature film was Union City . From the early 1980s to the 1990s, Lipscomb appeared in key roles in various motion pictures including Eyes of Fire , WarGames , The Day After , A Soldier's Story , Amazing Grace and Chuck , Sister, Sister , The...
as Sheriff Cleve Doucet