By now you’ve probably heard of Little Sister, the movie featuring a young pink-haired nun with black lipstick visiting her estranged family. But to talk about the film like that is to do the opposite of what the moral of the story is telling us. Yes, the movie written and directed by Zach Clark, does begin with a Marilyn Manson quote and there are several moments when we see Colleen’s (Addison Timlin) old life clash with her newfound faith and vocation. Yet this tale is ultimately about finding out that you’re defined by one thing, that as people we’re many things, often all at the same time.
The story takes off when Colleen reads an email from her mother, who’s played by the coolest member of The Breakfast Club, Ally Sheedy. The only part of the letter that our protagonist seems to care about is that her brother is home. When she reaches her hometown, she realizes things are not quite right with her entire family: Jacob, her brother, has returned from Iraq as a wounded hero and spends his days locked up in his room. Her room is exactly as she left it before leaving, black walls and an upside-down cross she’s quick to turn around.
In an effort to connect with her sibling she turns to her old ways: puts on some Death Metal, brings out the goth makeup, and gets the vampire fangs out of the drawer. Yet it’s through this process that Colleen discovers that, despite her vows, she’s still the same girl she was when she left. In the end, every member of the family comes to terms with the fact that their “roles” do not define them, but are only an element of who they are.
There’s a particularly special exchange between Colleen and her mother that represents that moment every person has gone through: realizing their parents are people too. They make mistakes, are far from perfect, and have their own demons to face.
The film is full of fun whimsy moments which seem to bizarrely fit with the dark music and undertones. Keith Poulson, who plays Colleen’s recluse brother, seems to mimic the reactions we the audience feel towards this young woman’s attempts at finding who and what she is. One thing that film does really well is not be condescending or ridicule any of the protagonist’s aspects. Instead of falling into the expected clichés, we see her become confident in being who she is, and all that it entails.
Ultimately this is the fable of everyone who’s grown up and has had to come to terms with the person they’ve turned into and the awkward teenager they still are inside.
