This is literally the first film review I've ever written, not to say I don't watch a tremendous amount of movies, I literally watch at minimum 5 a week. I mentioned that though because I feel compelled to say I'm shocked there would be a single bad user review out there for this film... to such the point that I felt compelled to write my own as I felt certain any negative reviews must be written by ex-husbands/wives or the such.
This film is absolutely brilliant! It's masterfully written and directed, not only for a first time filmmaker but for anyone. The acting is superb, I mean real-life tear at your seats real. And all the technical elements are top-notch, camera work, sound design, score, etc.
That being said, a lot of indie films out there are good, but what really sets this one apart is how original it is. If you watch a lot of indie movies, or studio movies for that matter, you start to find them really really repetitive and almost plagiarist. -- For Caroline and Jackie though, I can say you've literally never seen anything like it. It's both well crafted and original, and it'll keep you guessing over and over and over again. Like as soon as you think it's going one way, BAM, it throws you the opposite, and all for good reason, all for an amazing payoff.
That said, this is a character driven drama, indie film to its core, so if you're into that kind of movie or looking to explore one, you're going to love it. I mean really love it. If you're into big studio movies, want a simple escape and no questions to boot, then this might not be your cup of tea. I find the ending very satisfying, even redemptive, but I wouldn't call this a happy-go-lucky film, so don't go into it wanting to relax.
In summary, at its core this is a film about sisters, and more broadly family, for real. What a family is really like and what a family can really do to you, both in terms of helping you and hurting you. If you're crazy about relationships and love a good story, check it out.
I gave it a 9 because I think giving anything but like The Godfather a 10 is just ridiculous, so for my kind of scale this is about as 10 as you can wish for. I can't wait to see what this guy does next.
