I want to see “A Ma Soeur!” again. I only saw it once during my junior year of high school. Thanks, Leibs.

Many movies from those bygone film classes with Leibner struck a chord with my adolescent mind. The serious, gritty emotions that many of these films highlighted were so unlike the cheesy Disney films and action flicks that I usually found myself watching on a Friday night out with my friends.

Some goodies from those classes:
“Maelstrom”
“Memento”
“Talk to Her”
“Amores Perros”
“The Piano”
“Y Tu Mama Tambien”
“Jesus’ Son”
“Enlightenment Guaranteed”
“eXistenZ”
“Full Metal Jacket”
“Run, Lola, Run”
“FUN”
“Proof”
“Italian for Beginners”
“Dark Water”

But I digress. “A Ma Soeur!” was one of those films that stayed with me for at least a month after I saw it. While watching it, I completely forgot about the Lupita’s chicken burrito I was so keen on grabbing before class started. (I sure wish we had Lupita’s up here. Mexican food isn’t quite the same.)

While on summer holiday, 15- year-old Elena meets a young Italian man who is hell-bent on seducing her, while 12-year-old Anais can do nothing but watch and conspire with them. This surface story propels the narrative, but the sisters themselves are the most captivating part of the film. The sisters’ interactions with one another feel so real, so raw, that it almost seems as though we are intruding on their lives in the simple act of watching the movie. Although so close in age, their lives could not be any more dissimilar, and the audience can see and also feel these palpable differences.

The shocking ending is perhaps the main reason that this film stands out in my mind. I can’t really mention much about it without giving it away, but when the light switched on in that small auditorium, there was a long moment of silence before anyone could even comment on what we’d just seen.

Hum. I’ll have to hunt down this film and watch it alone in my room. The roommates aren’t too keen on foreign films. For that matter, they don’t even like watching horror films. This means I end up watching a lot of rather boring or predictable movies, unless I retreat to my room with “Italian for Beginners” or the original “Dark Water.” At least I’m up with the times, eh?

(via snip-snap-beep.blogspot.com)