Adapting her stage play, Emma Dante transports us through five decades in the lives of siblings transformed by a single tragic moment.
Dante begins with an event that unfolds in the most formative moments of youth and proves so devastating its impact leaves all involved emotionally crippled as they enter adulthood and beyond. Exquisitely shot, particularly in capturing the joyous moments of a carefree summer, Dante’s moving drama changes actors as time goes by, with each evincing the emotional toll of what they lived through. Avoiding the pitfalls of melodrama, The Macaluso Sisters draws its tension from the subtle interplay of the characters and the regret they feel at being robbed of the life they had hoped to live. It’s through these understated portraits that the film succeeds in its study of loss.
★★★★ “A hauntingly lovely, strikingly unusual
portrait of family trauma.” - Wendy Ide, The Financial Times
★★★★ “A sibling tragedy makes for devastating drama” - Kevin Maher, The Times
