It’s the families in crisis, the castaways and the survivors that are central to French-Swiss director Ursula Meier’s brand of cinema.
Where her debut film, Home, trained the lens on a family of five whose life is turned upside down when the abandoned stretch of highway on which their home stands suddenly becomes functional, her latest offering, Sister, titled L’Enfant d’en haut in French, brings viewers face to face with another marginalised family — this one living in destitution below an expensive ski resort.
Inspired by the memory of a boy thief Meier had encountered during a childhood skiing trip, Sister is the story of 12-year-old Simon, essayed on screen by young Kacey Mottet Klein, an actor she had discovered when she was looking for someone to star in her maiden venture, Home. Simon makes petty cash by stealing ski equipment from tourists, bringing back a small income to the high-rise tower block where he lives with his troubled elder sister, Louise, played by the Paris-based actress Lea Seydoux.
“It’s a story of two worlds that exist side by side, but are linked by the ski lift that takes Simon up the mountain everyday for his miniature crime wave,” explains Meier.
Having grown up in France, skiing has been one of the filmmaker’s favourite pursuits. “As a child, I used to ski a lot. One day, I was with a group of children, and the teacher pointed out a little boy and said, ‘Be careful, he’s a thief’,” she recalls.
Meier was surprised to find a thief in such a place — “I wondered why was it that he needed to steal things. Eventually, this boy was banned from restaurants as well as the ski station. It was not a dramatic memory, just a picture.” Obviously, though, this incident lived on in her mind, and may perhaps be one of the reasons for her desire to throw the spotlight on the lives of the invisible people in society.
In Sister, Simon, an innocuous little boy, quietly manages to walk away with expensive skis that he later sells to make money. Then, as the season slowly draws to a close, he is suddenly shown to be all alone with nothing much to do. The snow is melting and there are fewer tourists. Where he usually manages to get away unseen, his life takes a turn when an Englishwoman takes notice of him.
Simon longs for the protection and love of a family and Klein portrays that desperation to perfection. To most people, working with a child actor in the main lead may appear to be a risk, but Meier doesn’t agree, “Sister came from several different desires. But it started with the desire to work with Kacey once again. He is really talented. I had shot Home with him when he was very young. Initially, I had worked with him for a few months because I wanted him to understand and embody the character. He is very natural and I love working with him.”
She chose American actress, Gillian Anderson, the popular lead of the sci-fi TV series X Files, to play the wealthy tourist, who grabs young Simon’s attention. “I really wanted to have a foreign actress so that Simon can dream of what it’s like. I also wanted to have a star, someone who could be a phantasm. This character is really the phantasm of a mother. She’s real in the film, of course, but for Simon, she’s an apparition,” reveals Meier.
Although her casting director had shown her photographs of various probables, when she saw Anderson she realised she was right for the part. “Gillian received the script and we met and I really liked her. And (the best part) you can’t place her age, which is great for the character,” she adds.
Of course, for Meier, Sister — shot in Germany and USA within 45 days — is ultimately the story of a brother and sister. Keeping exposition to a minimum, the siblings’ lives unfold, bit by bit, throughout the narrative. She says, “Through Sister I have shown how the rich get richer and poor get poorer. The little boy steals because he has to support his sister.” While Klein plays the street-smart brother, 27-year-old Seydoux’s performance as the tormented sister is noteworthy.
Sister has struck a chord with audiences in the festival circuit, and even critics. Wrote Jaques Mandelbaum of The Guardian: “Meier explores the cruel physical and atmospheric contrasts between the two worlds, high and low, dwelling on the cloudy skies, grimy slush and the shadow cast by the peaks, which brings semi-darkness to the valley bottom.”
At the 35th Starz Denver Film Festival, the award’s jury called the film “a well crafted narrative… with authentic performances, supported by grand cinematography…(It) pulls you into the unfamiliar world of a childhood thief whose only constant is the love shared between him and his sister.” And recently, at the prestigious 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, it won the special Silver Bear Award.
Indian audiences, too, got the chance to catch the movie at the 43rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, where it was showcased in the world cinema category. An avid traveller, Meier revealed on that occasion how she was dazzled by the friendly people of the state, even as she spoke of her love for the work of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
After being praised and feted around the world, Meier is now preparing to take Los Angeles by storm. Sister has been selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards due to its “intelligent and original screenplay, the uncomplicated direction and the two charismatic young actors (that) make this film a work which touches a wide audience”.
Will this riveting account of lost siblings get the coveted golden statue? All eyes on the iconic Kodak Theatre now.