Sister
At the base of a Swiss luxury ski resort, a 12-year-old boy lives in a run-down housing complex. By day, he stealthily submerges himself in the leisure and privilege of the resort, pinching pricey items for resale on the black market. At night, he takes care of his sister, who’s old enough to be his mother but requires the type of care typically reserved for children. With tireless efficiency, he makes sure that she’s fed, clothed, and sheltered. The sister is maybe a whore. The boy is definitely a thief. The elliptical bonds of love and need that hang precariously between them are at the heart of Sister. As our young antihero moves through his obstacle course of a life with zero self-pity, only purpose, the split between the haves and the have-nots is made clear in an appealingly lyrical and quietly heartrending fashion. The hearts being rent are the viewers’. (DAVID SCHMADER)