The Other Sister Critque

Just this morning, I was complaining to my dad that I hadn't seen a decent movie in a very long time. This was until I watched The Other Sister. I'm not much of a sucker for romantic comedies, or chick flicks, but The Other Sister had such an endearing quality about it that I couldn't help but fall in love.

The Other Sister tells the story of Carla Tate, a young woman who has resided in a training school for many years because of her mental handicap. Carla's only hope is that she will be accepted for all the things she can now do for herself. Carla's family's wealth allows her mother, already blinded to her daughter's rather high-functioning abilities, to dote on Carla beyond her needs or desires, bringing forth many confrontations. But what Carla may lack in mentally, she certainly makes up for in her insistence on being independent, to the extent of living in her own apartment. On top of everything, however, Carla meets a mentally challenged young man, who moves her beyond anyone's control.

There are many relationships throughout the movie, although the focus is primarily on Carla's relationship with her mother. Overbearing, erratic, and emotional, Carla's mother believes that whatever she decides is what's best for Carla. However, she does not take the time to recognize Carla's true interests, and places Carla in classes that make her feel gawky, such as calligraphy and tennis. Through the course of the movie, though, Carla's relationship with her mother strengthens, as she learns that Carla is an independent young woman with the will to make her own way, handicap or not.

Another key relationship in the movie is the relationship between Carla and her father. Polar opposite from the attachment with her mother, Carla and her father share a special bond of love and understanding. One of the reasons I believe Carla's father so empathizes with her is that they are both "square pegs" within their family. Neither one is fully understood, especially by Carla's mother, and for that reason neither one is able to completely express their own opinion. Carla and her father treat one another with respect, and their relationship reflects it.

The third and most important relationship in The Other Sister is the relationship between Carla and her boyfriend Daniel. Both looked upon as inferior for being mentally challenged, Carla and Daniel find solace