SXSW Short and Sweet: “Sisters”

Mary Holland and Sarah Burns in "Sisters," the new SXSW short from Jess Brunetto

Welcome to Short and Sweet, our look at short films playing at SXSW. Today our pick sees accomplished film and TV editor turned filmmaker Jess Brunetto debuts her first narrative film, "Sisters."

It's a highly stylized and hilarious short about two siblings, Emily (Sarah Burns) and Andy (Mary Holland), and their polar approaches to the impending death of their mother. (Florence C.M. Klein) Employing an evocative blend of sound and image, Brunetto constructs an unforgettable world in 18 minutes.

Austin Chronicle: What was the kernel of the idea for your first narrative film, and how long had you been working on it?

Jess Brunetto: "Sisters" was conceived after my oldest sister and brother-in-law provided home care for his ailing mother until her passing. I wanted to tackle a serious subject matter, but approach it in a playful manner. I wrote the script in the fall of 2018, we filmed in the summer of 2019 and the final touches in post production wrapped in 2020.

AC: Is any of this autobiographical?

JB: There are autobiographical details from my childhood in regards to the sisters’ dynamic with each other. I also borrowed concrete details of my oldest sister’s life, who provided home care for her mother-in-law. I am drawn to family relationships because they are one of the most universal topics. The story of the film is a journey of breaking down and building yourself back up with the help of people who know you best and love you unconditionally.

AC: Your work is bursting with color. Did you conceive of the visual style when you wrote the film or have you always been drawn to these primary colors?

JB: I had always known I wanted a strong visual style in the film, but I originally wrote it with a neon color scheme in mind. As we got closer to production, I felt that primary colors would create a more classic aesthetic and they also have a timeless quality. I then assigned each one of the women a color. Mom was yellow, Emily was blue, and Andy was red.

AC: You are a career film and television editor. Did you have a distinct editing style in mind for "Sisters" or were you happy to work outside of the editing booth?

JB: Let me lead with I could not be happier to work outside the editing booth! My editor, Kate Itzkowitz, did an amazing job putting the film together and I appreciate her talents so much. I think finding an editing style is unique to every project depending on what best fits the story. For "Sisters" we went with a mix of realism and formalism. We’d find moments to hold on the actors’ raw performances and then have beats that were edited in a highly constructed and stylized way.

AC: The sound design is so immersive. From the phone sounds to the mouth noises to the French score, what was your approach to constructing the soundscape of Sisters?

As a filmmaker, I have always advocated that sound is more important than picture. You can sacrifice things visually in production, but not audio. In post, I spent a lot of time choosing very specific sound effects that perfectly fit the world of the characters and enhanced the comedy, like in the case of the mouth chewing noises. The two landline phones each had specific rings as well. The phone in the mother’s bedroom had a traditional ring, while the upstairs phone in Emily’s bedroom had a “princess ring,” which fit her uptight older sister vibe. The French needle drops were something we found in the edit room and the music helped give certain moments, like the game of dress up, a romantic quality.

Sisters

Narrative Shorts Competition

World Premiere