The Pigeon Sisters
Emma Dante has co-written and directed a drama that traces the lives of four sisters concerning the loss of a fifth sister who died in a tragic accident as a young girl. "The Macaluso Sisters" is based on Dante's own 2014 play of the same name, and it's an incisive character study of the toll that death exacts on the surviving sisters.
Katia (Alissa Maria Orlando), Lia (Susanna Piraino), Pinuccia (Anita Pomario), Maria (Eleonora De Luca) and Antonella (Viola Pusateri) live in an apartment in Palermo, Italy. In their attic the girls keep pigeons that they rent out to parties, magicians, and anyone else who'll pay. After the events, the pigeons fly back to the attic.
On a very hot summer day, the girls go to the beach. While playing, Antonella dies in a freakish incident. By going back and forth in time, Dante shows us the effects and toll this loss takes on the surviving sisters. The course of all of their lives is profoundly affected.
As adults, the relationships among all of them have been strained, and resentments about their sister's death constantly fuel animosity. One scene in particular exposes all of the raw nerves. It's at a group dinner where all of the pent-up feelings come out in raw emotion.
Yet, among all this tension there are many scenes of them as children enjoying their lives. They frolic at the beach. They dance and sing. They're as happy as can be as young girls. That contrast against the melancholy of their adult lives is shown to us in moments that flash back and forth.
"The Macaluso Sisters" is an absorbing peek inside the lives of a group of sisters. You'll smile at them as children and feel their pain as adults. I found it to be a very satisfying and rewarding film.
The Macaluso Sisters Movie Review By David Kempler
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