"The Sisters Kardos" is a captivating female-led drama that centers on four sisters, Carolyn (Gia Galardi), Jen (Searra Sawka), Sam (Gina Gagliano), and Lucy (Josie Hull) as they cope with grief. Written and directed by Gabe Rodriguez, the film is a thoughtful bildungsroman set against the backdrop of the coronavirus lockdown in New York City.
The opening sequence is reminiscent of Woody Allen's "Manhattan." A montage of New York City scenery is depicted in black-and-white, while a lullaby of instrumental music plays in the background. The scene evokes a sense of nostalgia and a callback to simpler times. It also establishes Manhattan as a character in its own right.
The film's structure highlights Rodriguez's dexterity as a storyteller. Rodriguez uses close-up shots to capture the emotional tone of the story and draw the audience closer, like they're in the story, rather than bystanders. Each sister's story is told through a unique framing device, which merges into a satisfying cohesion by the end of the movie. Rodriguez creatively employs a variety of camera shots that work effectively with each character's storytelling medium. The use of digital media in storytelling underscores the sisters' Gen Z perspectives, especially in Carolyn and Lucy's arcs.
Eldest sister Carolyn's tough exterior belies her sensitivity, as she uses playwriting to process her identity. Her flashback scenes depict her as a director, commenting on her past choices. Carolyn's sequences read like a play, with stage directions and dialogue that feels true to her character. This device shows the separation Carolyn has from parts of herself, and how she processes trauma.
Jen, the second-oldest sister, feels trapped by the confines of the pandemic and her family. She uses movement to process her feelings. Rodriguez's camera shots focus on close-ups of Jen as she works through her intense, repetitive exercise routine. Alternating these scenes with flashbacks allows the audience to see her attempts to process trauma.
Jen's commentary on her origin story reads like a romantic-comedy film. She notes the romantic banter, exposition, and backstory present in her parents' first meeting. This scene mirrors Jen's romantic meet-cute at the park with her love interest, Cowboy Spencer (Jordan Allen Bell). Jen's flexibility of expression symbolizes the range of ways humans integrate their origin stories into their developing identities.
Rodriguez integrates symbolism into Sam's character arc in a subtle, yet evocative way. Sam often feels left out in her family's dynamic. A large piece of crumpled paper symbolizes Sam's search for identity and purpose. Rodriguez uses a time-lapse sequence as Sam takes the train to find the paper to let the audience sense her impatience and rising curiosity.
Youngest sister Lucy frames the beginning and the end of the narrative. As a budding movie critic with a vlog, her exuberance and humor add lightness to the script. Lucy uses classic film references to structure her inner narrative and make sense of her past. The vlog is a unique framing device, which allows Lucy to address the audience organically. Lucy's tongue-in-cheek captions like, "Her fifth drink of the day" with an arrow pointing to Carolyn give the audience a glimpse into the sisters' relationship. Lucy's method of framing her personal narrative as a film highlights the cinematic allusions in the script.
The work of the ensemble cast in "The Sisters Kardos" is remarkable. Each sister's storytelling device is distinctive, which allows each actress to interpret her character with complexity and individuality. Their multidimensional portrayals bring the characters' flaws and strengths to the forefront. The actresses have powerful chemistry and their performances complement each other. Rodriguez's nonlinear narrative blends their interlocking stories believably.
Rodriguez's storytelling is fresh and distinctly original. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a setting symbolizes the sisters' disconnection from themselves and each other. It also adds urgency to the film. The sisters' separate character arcs alternate between black-and-white asides, as they move from place to place in Manhattan. This pilgrimage serves as a visual callback to classic black-and-white cinema, providing a stark contrast in tone and atmosphere from the sisters' separate narratives. The Kardos sisters' quest throughout Manhattan also symbolizes their search for identity and their connection as a family unit.
The film has literary elements of classic tales like "Little Women." At the beginning of the film, Sam and Jen are established as foils, much like Louisa May Alcott's Jo and Amy. The characters are often shown holding flowers, much like Alcott's characters. Flowers symbolize the fragility of life, which is a motif in both "The Sisters Kardos" and "Little Women." Like Alcott, Rodriguez integrates thoughtful foreshadowing in ways that are subtle enough to pique the audience's curiosity, but not strong enough to ruin the surprises later in the story. The Kardos sisters' relationship mirrors the beautiful, yet deeply complex relationship of the March sisters in "Little Women."
The innovative cinematography, strong ensemble cast, and multi-layered plot come together for a poignant ending. "The Sisters Kardos" is a skillful example of filmmaking that is both emotionally resonant and memorable.
