Sister (2012 film)
| Sister | |
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French film poster
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| Directed by | Ursula Meier |
| Produced by | Denis Freyd |
| Written by |
Antoine Jaccoud Ursula Meier |
| Starring |
Léa Seydoux Kacey Mottet Klein |
| Music by | John Parish |
| Cinematography | Agnès Godard |
| Edited by | Nelly Quettier |
| Distributed by | Filmcoopi Zürich AG (Switzerland) Diaphana Films (France) |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | Switzerland France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | €4.6 million |
| Box office | $1.2 million |
Sister (French: L'Enfant d'en haut) is a 2012 Swiss drama film directed by Ursula Meier. The film competed in competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Special Award, the Silver Bear. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, making the January shortlist.
Twelve-year-old Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) lives with his older sister Louise (Léa Seydoux) in a housing complex below a luxury Swiss ski resort. Despite his age, he supports both him and his sister by stealing equipment from the resort, refurbishing them to look new before reselling them to children at a discounted price. Though he makes a substantial sum of money through these sales, he spends most of it on Louise, buying her clothes and giving her money so that she can go on dates. Louise is selfish and irresponsible, unable to hold down a job and frequently going off with men, leaving Simon alone at home. Though Simon tries to teach her how to refurbish the skis, she leaves with Bruno (Yann Trégouët) on a short vacation.
At the ski resort, Simon meets tourist Kristin (Gillian Anderson) by helping her with her son's equipment. He introduces himself as Julien, explaining that he is alone because his parents are busy running a hotel. Later he eats lunch with her and is surprised when she insists on paying for the food, as he is used to financially supporting Louise. He also meets Mike (Martin Compston), an employee of the resort who catches him hoarding stolen skis. Mike is furious, but after Simon explains that he sells the skis to pay for food and basic necessities he decides to partner with him. Simon continues to steal equipment, and in return for some of it, Mike gives him more access to hide the stolen skis. Mike asks Simon about his parents, and Simon explains that they died in a car accident and that he is alone.
Louise returns from her trip with Bruno, who stays the night. Louise explains that Simon is only staying at their home temporarily. When Bruno asks Simon where he lives, Simon replies "with my parents" and says that they have a "fucked-up family." Bruno takes the siblings out driving in his BMW the next morning so that Louise can pick out a car and thus have better luck with getting a job. After Simon sees Bruno and Louise flirting with each other, he confesses that Louise is not his sister, but his mother. Upset, Louise begins to cry, telling her boyfriend that she was going to tell him eventually. A furious Bruno kicks them out of the car and leaves them to walk home by themselves. Louise, livid, demands that Simon follow her at a large distance; she keeps their true relationship a secret because of how hard it is to get a boyfriend and find a job while being a single parent. She says that he has been her "ball and chain" for twelve years, and he, furious, states that she's his, pointing out that he pays for her.
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