Sisters July and September are thick as thieves, though very different - September is protective and distrustful of others, while July is open to and curious about the world. Their dynamic is a concern to their single mum, Sheela, who is unsure what to do with them. When September is suspended from their school, July is left to fend for herself and begins to assert her own independence - which does not go unnoticed by September. Tension among the three women builds when they take refuge in an old holiday home in Ireland, where July finds her bond with September shifting in ways she cannot entirely understand or control - and a series of surreal encounters test the family to their limit.
The Garden Cinema View:
Ariane Labed's directorial debut initially bears comparison to the Greek Weird Wave, particularly Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg. The balanced compositions, animal mimicry and mirroring between the two protagonists seem to be, at the least, an homage to the film that launched Labed's acting career. It also has clear references to Kubrick’s The Shining as well as a variety of British folk horror classics.
Adapted by Labed from Daisy Johnson's novel Sisters, it features a talented single mother (Rakhee Thakrar), and twins July (Mia Tharia) and September (Pascale Kann). As the story unfolds, Labed examines with honesty this all-female family dynamic, embracing its darker aspects: the sisters' co-dependency, their mother's emotional withdrawal and the intense sisterly bond that both unites and divides them.
Where the film excels though is in its third act, where Labed executes a masterful narrative shift that recontextualises everything that came before. As grief becomes the central focus, what initially seemed like Greek Wave aesthetics are revealed as clever misdirection. The ending is fantastic and elevates the entire piece. Labed is a new directorial voice to watch.
