Sisters, or The Balance of Happiness (1979) (2024)

Popular reviews

• Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★½ 2

  This movie is so f*cked up. I don't know if I love it or hate it. Maria (Jutta Lampe) seems to be so toxic, having an unbearable effect on her sister Anna, and her new roommate/lover, Miriam. I am curious to know what writer/director Margarethe von Trotta's inspiration was, as it has a sort of Fassbinderian quality to it.

  Vegan alert:
  Men argue whether a goat or polar bear fur coat would fit Maria's personality

  Vegan points:
  A man refuses milk in his coffee

• Review by Sally Jane Black 2

  There is a web of emotion between the principal characters of this film that I have thrice tried to unknot, but each time give up not because of its complexity (though it is anything but simple) but because I feel like I'd spoil things to make it easier on you. One of the pieces of this film that has to be appreciated is the defiance of simple tropes when it comes to female friendships and sisterhood. They love each other; they hate each other. But it's not as simple as that. So much of this film rests on the performances, after some initial striking images set a tone (mirrors and forests creep into the film repeatedly). The actresses make these relationships feel real, even when they slip into deeper, more fraught emotional territory.

• Review by freelunch ★★★★

  This film tackles typical themes of control vs freedom and duty vs following your dreams in one of the most unique ways possible. It’s all in the title, really. Very eerie, melancholy, tightly written/constructed, and a bit surreal that reminded me of Bergman mixed with Kieślowski and it all culminates in a way that was surprisingly effective for me. Plus the score is great. Wish this was available in better quality though, the copy on Amazon Prime was kinda icky.

• Review by VonBergundy ★★★★ 5

  Any fans of Bergman, Kieślowski, or Fassbinder are doing themselves a disservice by not checking out the work of Margarethe von Trotte. Of course, the fact that this, and much of her other work, is only available in VHS (at best) quality doesn't help. The similarity to these beloved directors is not just in the excellent visual craft, but there are also loads of psychological and metaphorical layers. It's hard to discuss the specifics of this one without spoiling the plot. It's not an upbeat experience by any measure but a moving and thought-provoking one.

  This should be something I'm watching for the Criterion challenge instead of the anti-Criterion challenge.

  ×Anti-Criterion Challenge #18 - Directed by Margarethe von Trotte

• Review by Thomas ★★★½

  If I had to describe “Sisters, or The Balance of Happiness”, I would say Ingmar Bergman meets Vertigo meets Fassbinder, and all of it from a decidedly female perspective. Margarethe von Trotta´s sophom*ore solo film is part affecting family melodrama and part psychologically rich study of identity, projection, control and dependency, ambition, jealousy, manipulation, and female relationships. Jutta Lampe, Gudrun Gabriel, Agnes Fink, and Jessica Früh all deliver strong performances, and they are aided by von Trotta´s equally strong direction, which creates a melancholic, eerie atmosphere. A special shoutout has to go to Franz Rath´s excellent indoor cinematography, in particular the framing and use of space and architecture to reflect the psychological states of the characters (hence the Bergman/Fassbinder vibes). Furthermore, there are some great scenes involving music. All in all, “Sisters” is another one of von Trotta´s intriguing, insightful, and well-crafted female-centered contributions to New German Cinema.

• Review by Rakestraw ★★★★½

  That single take of Miriam Grau (Jessica Fruh) dancing about the apartment, singing along to Billie Holiday, finally flopping down on a chair, head thrown back in exhaustion and/or frustration.

  A delicate, identity swap narrative through imposing, forcing others to carry the mantle of your aborted academic endeavors, suffocating them and, in turn, the imposer until animus saturates every action.

• Review by ‮هاجر‬ ★★★★★

  I am calm, only my fear is growing.

• Review by Jerry McGlothlin ★★★★ 1

  “When fear gets too big, it can destroy you.”

  Margarethevon Trotta delivers a quaint and macabre nightmare with Sisters, or The Balance of Happiness. This familial melodrama tells the story of two sisters; Maria and Anna, the former being a successful, outgoing secretary full of ambition and vigor. The latter being a sweet and bright, but shy and unstable student. When Maria becomes romantically involved with her boss’s son and develops a friendship with her co-worker Miriam, Anna is deeply jealous of her sister, both for these relationships she’s found and for her companionship. She begins showing serious symptoms of depression and anxiety, which only grow worse and worse the less she sees Maria. Tackling themes like co-dependency, sibling relationships,…

• Review by Frances Meh ★★★★

  Women only want one thing and it’s to drive their depressive sister to suicide with their domineering and then to emotionally replace their sister with a friend they drive away and then to be left with nothing but their soulless corporate job to comfort them.

• Review by Thorkell August Ottarsson ★★★½

  This was a strange mixture of Cries & Whispers (1972) by Bergman and Vertigo (1958) by Hitchco*ck. It investigates the identity crises of two sisters (well mainly one of them at the cost of the other) and how she later on tries to replicate that relationship. The film is interesting but I felt it was a little aimless or maybe half cooked. Something was missing, I'm just not sure what. But there is great film hiding underneath it all which either got lost in the process or will be found on a revisit. Either way, an interesting effort and a fine film from Margarethe von Trotta.

• Review by Andrew Bucca ★★★★

  Just my kind of dark and depressing movie! (Don’t read too much into that).

  The forest in the beginning was a great way to frame the rest of the film. In other words, life is a dark and dreary forest where no one know where they are going and they can’t rest or else they’ll be eaten alive. The rest develops into how these people in the film deal with that sense of loss and loneliness. The characters and their relationships/interactions really make this movie.

  The colors are bland and deep toned to reflect the feelings of the characters. No one in this movie is really happy, and when they are, it is very fleeting.

  If you couldn’t tell. I’m totally digging this movie.

• Review by Post1000Tension ★★★½

  Less defined when it's divided between the two sisters; more successful as a slightly surrealist drama of rebuilding one's self-image under the shadows of grief and denial. In that, it anticipates Mia Hansen-Løve's explorations of similar territory.

  There are also sharp observations on the division of labor, and in particular how young women internalize it. The elder sister's premature entry into the workforce induced her to take on a more masculine provider role, yet her job as a secretary places her in automatic subordination to the men of her office. Von Trotta's Germany seems to be built entirely on a workforce of underemployed women forever vying for the same secretary job at different firms. The businessmen they serve are aloof…