Sister act

>> Breillat's À Ma Soeur is subtler than Romance

by JASON BOGDANERIS

After grabbing headlines with Romance, the sexually explicit film featuring a porn star, the most shocking thing about Catherine Breillat's latest is how subdued it is. Now that she has our attention it makes you wonder if À ma Soeur was the film she'd wanted to make all along. It explores many of the same themes but in a style which bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

The story revolves around an unlikely sibling rivalry between Elena, a vacuous 15-year-old beauty (Roxane Mesquida) and her dumpy younger sister Anaïs (Anaïs Reboux) against the backdrop of their loss of innocence. The girls' relationship is established early on as we see Elena kissing her studly Italian boyfriend while sis stares from across a table miserably gorging on a sundae.

Elena's attempts at saving herself are no match for the experienced lothario's libido and she soon joylessly becomes another of his conquests. Meanwhile, her chubby sister is cruelly forced to witness it all from the next bed; in a typical example of restraint the camera stays on her jealous sobs instead of the bumping and grinding lovers. This sums up the sexual dilemma for Breillat's female characters, where the choice seems to be between rejection and objectification.

What emerges is a portrait of victimhood with each of the women suffering in various ways as a result of their gender. Elena's entry into womanhood is an introduction to macho callousness, while the lack of male attention makes Anaïs feel useless and desperate. The film's sudden violent finale then graphically depicts what had been suggested all along.

Unfortunately, the themes get oversimplified and many so-called revelations come across as platitudes. Similarly, a lot of the shots feel posed and, combined with the cold-hued cinematography, there's often a feeling of detachment from the people onscreen. One exception is the character of Anaïs, who benefits most from Breillat's unflinching camera, adding some much-needed warmth and humour. But ultimately it's a film caught between two worlds. Too superficial to be really thought-provoking and too cold to be emotionally engaging, it still hints at a talented filmmaker.

À Ma Soeur opens Friday, Aug. 31