“I wanted to tackle a serious subject matter, but approach it in a playful manner,” says writer and director Jess Brunetto in our email interview below on her HollyShorts Film Festival entry Sisters. “My ultimate goal as an artist is to mix humor and heart.”
Sisters stars Sarah Burns (Enlightened, Werewolves Within) and Mary Holland (Veep, Happiest Season) as estranged siblings Emily and Andy (respectively) who are forced to confront each other as their comatose mother nears death. Emily has put her entire life on hold in order to care for their mother, while a self-centered Andy has moved away to New York in order to become an actress. Tensions between the two sisters reach an apex as they argue over whether or not to sell their mother’s house. As they create a game to divvy up their mother’s belongings, long-held secrets come to light, bringing Emily and Andy closer than ever.
With Brunetto at the helm, Sisters performs, to perfection, the act of balancing the dark and the light, the grim and the hopeful, the trauma of growing up with a flawed mother and the deep-rooted love of family, creating a film that opens up its home to you and invites you over for dinner. What results is an intimate peek into the complex lives of a real family with real squabbles. Indeed, Burns and Holland tap into that unique energy that only adults with siblings understand—that ineffable stew of anger and love and resentment and kinship—and turn in laugh-out-loud funny performances.
Brunetto’s ultimate achievement with Sisters—more than the sharpness of the script or the playfulness of the film’s visual language—is how it looks towards the light, how it dares to inspire change, and how, by extension, it makes you believe that everything will be all right. Whatever the squabble, whatever the issue, inside the family (and out)—you will be fine.
Before we get into Sisters, I wonder if you might tell us about your own filmmaking journey? Where did it all start for you?
In high school I was interested in creative writing and visual arts with a concentration in collage. From there I took a lucky guess that pursuing filmmaking would be the right fit for me. I immediately became interested in documentary editing, because it was a perfect blend of writing and collaging in the edit room, but I also knew my long term goal was to get into directing. After graduation from film school at SUNY Purchase, I got my first big break as an editor working for Michael Moore, which is where I not only got to shine as an editor, but also fell in love with comedy. Michael believed making people laugh was the best way to have information resonate with the audience and a big part of my job was doing comedy punch ups on very serious content. From my documentary career I was able to springboard into cutting improv comedy, constructing scenes from a mix of scripted and improvised performances, which has been the backbone of my career. As an editor, writer, and director, I’m drawn to projects with female protagonists because it is important to me to have women’s stories presented authentically on screen. I feel insanely lucky that this year I was nominated for an Emmy for editing the pilot for the HBOMax show Hacks, my short Sisters premiered at SXSW and most recently screened opening night at HollyShorts Film Festival.
What I loved most was how the film was ultimately about change (and literal birth) and journeying back in order to go forward even though it deals with very serious topics like death and illness. I understand that the story was inspired by personal events as well. Would you elaborate on where the idea came from, and what drew you to the humour within the tragedy?
Sisters was inspired by my oldest sister and brother-in-law providing home care for his ailing mother until her passing. I wanted to tackle a serious subject matter, but approach it in a playful manner. My ultimate goal as an artist is to mix humor and heart and I am drawn to family relationships because they are one of the most universal topics. The story of these siblings is a journey of breaking down and then rebuilding yourself with the help of the people who know you best and love you unconditionally. The concrete details of my older sister’s life mixed with some memories of our childhood helped me to incorporate examples of true-to-life humor, which lent the film an authenticity that I hope resonates with the audience. While Sisters has illness and death, it’s about birth, change, and how deeply funny life can be in its most serious moments.
Sarah Burns and Mary Holland turn in such funny and captivating performances. There’s a playfulness to their characters, which I think any adult with siblings can relate to (the idea that you will always bicker like children). What was it like to work with them? How did you create that familial vibe?
I am still blown away at how lucky I am to have worked with both Sarah Burns and Mary Holland on Sisters. Fortunately, we had an extensive rehearsal day before principal photography where we ran through the whole script and dissected the characters and beats together. We talked about how the people you love the most are also capable of bringing out your worst behavior. A lot of my direction was giving them touchstones by ages like, “this specific moment you should play like a middle schooler. ” Thankfully we were able to create a shorthand and chemistry very quickly.
HollyShort is a great platform for indie filmmakers. What does it mean for you to have Sisters screen here? How will you be celebrating?
Seeing Sisters for the first time in a theatre was an incredible experience I will never forget. It was so amazing to hear the audience laughing and I can’t believe it all happened in the heart of Hollywood. I was honored to be able to celebrate at the opening night party with my producers and crew who I love dearly.
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
I am actively developing a feature version of my short Sisters. I’ve received overwhelming positive reviews to the film and I’m thrilled at the chance to tell a larger version of the story. You can follow me on Instagram @jessicabrunetto and on Twitter @jessbrunetto for more updates.
