In this film, about a frustrated mother trying to cope with a mentally disabled daughter, there is a message for all of us - that we all need our independence and wish to fulfil our desires for happiness in our own way. Diane Keaton plays the role of Elizabeth the over protective mother in a most convincing performance - she shows all the desperation, the moods and emotions of a mother hoping to do the best for her child and suffering arguments and rebuffs at every turn. While Carla (Juliette Lewis)and her lover Daniel (Giovanni Ribisi) both disabled hold us in a state of nervous fascination,it is Diane Keaton who holds the storyline together. This is not a depressing film. On the contrary there are moments of humorous sexual exploration, numerous embarrassing situations and outright hilarity. A few of the scenes which I find particularly amusing are: The sweet innocence of the young couple reading a sex manual and earmarking the pages of appropriate positions, the initial introduction of Daniel in fancy dress as a large dog to Carla's parents and the church wedding in which church dogma is dispensed with and the couple "do it in their own way. The film is quite touching at times and some tears may appear, but in retrospect it is the joyous ending that seems to make everything right. And doesn't Diane Keaton look absolutely stunning in her magenta outfit with the big hat?
Review of The Other Sister
