Arábia
96'
Brazil
IFFR 2017
“Filmmakers are invaders, who want to penetrate private spaces that they do not belong to, to show them to the world. Sister of Mine is a series of this kind of invasions”, according to director Pedro Aguilera, who in his third film ruthlessly probes his own métier and the morality of contemporary image consumption. He introduces filmmaker Oliver as an example: greying although still young, already tired – or even bitter? – through the recognisable pain of a career as a modern film auteur, but self-confident and energetic enough to follow his personal fascinations without too many moral scruples.
One evening, Oliver is watching a video on a sex website and recognises his half-sister Aurora. Some time later, Oliver looks her up for the first time in years. Aurora, a lively student living with her mother, is pleased by the attention from her charming, much older brother.
Aguilera reveals what happens next in a stylish and controlled way, as events unfold like in a Greek tragedy. Helped by his excellent cast (and casting), Aguilera shows how a – seemingly – fearless filmmaker can compel the viewer. Oliver becomes fascinated by his lovely sister as he tries to find out why she was in that film. He sets up a camera where he shouldn’t. Aurora becomes the object of his cinematographic experiments, and he watches things he shouldn’t – things he shouldn’t even want to see.
IFFR 2017