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Two Sisters

Caroline Leaf, 1991, 10 min 26 s
This animated short, etched directly onto tinted 70 mm film, depicts the story of two sisters: Viola, who writes novels ...
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This animated short, etched directly onto tinted 70 mm film, depicts the story of two sisters: Viola, who writes novels in a dark room, and Marie, her only companion. Disfigured, Viola counts on her sister to take care of her and shelter her from the outside world. But when an unexpected stranger turns up on their front door, the sisters' quiet lives are disrupted and their routine turns to chaos.
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  • Two Sisters

    Two Sisters

    Viola writes novels in a darkened room. Marie, her sister and only companion, takes care of her every need. Together, they are an island unto themselves, quiet and complete in their isolation. And then the abrupt arrival of a stranger throws their tenuous order into chaos. An animated short etched directly onto tinted 70 mm film.

    Buy it now

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Caroline Leaf and Her Two Sisters
Caroline Leaf and Her Two Sisters

Celebrated animator Caroline Leaf speaks about the creative process and presents her film Two Sisters. The story takes place on a far-away island where two sisters live. One is a homely woman who writes popular novels, while her sister, and only companion, takes care of their daily needs. This striking character study transports the viewer into a disturbing world where dependency appears in many forms.

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The Street
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This award-winning animation film spares no feelings and minces no words. It is a poignant interpretation of a short story by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, which makes an embarrassingly frank statement about how many families respond to their old and infirm members. In soft simple washes of watercolor and ink, the filmmaker interprets reactions to a dying grandmother, capturing family feelings and distilling them into harsh reality.

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Donald McWilliams By Donald McWilliams
Caroline Leaf made this tour de force in the technique pioneered by McLaren – that of etching directly into the emulsion of the film. Leaf herself pioneered the techniques of animating sand and oil on a light box directly under a camera. A legendary perfectionist, Leaf said that she was tired of working for an eternity locked away in dark rooms. If she scratched directly into film stock, she would be able to make a film quickly. For Two Sisters, she decided to use 70 mm Imax film with different coloured emulsions, e.g., black or green. Perfectionism, however, reared its head and Leaf was still stuck in a dark room animating for two years. But it was worth it. This story of the relationship between two sisters, one disfigured, which is disturbed by the appearance of a male stranger is wonderfully animated and profoundly emotional. In 1974 I watched the silent test print of another Caroline Leaf film – The Owl that Married a Goose– with Norman McLaren. I was speechless. McLaren wept.
Director
Caroline Leaf
Writing
Caroline Leaf
Animation
Caroline Leaf
Producer
Robert Forget
Yves Leduc
Dagmar Teufel
Jacques Vallée
Photography
Pierre Landry
Sound
Shelley Craig
Louis Hone
Wojtek Klis
Jean-Pierre Joutel
Shelley Craig
Editing
Camille Laperrière
Voice and narration
Kathleen Fee
Jane Woods
Michael Rudder
Music
Judith Gruber-Stitzer
Find Similar Films
By Genre Animated film   Experimental film  

By Related keywords dependence   disfigurement   experimental film techniques   interpersonal relationships   sisters   stories  

By Director Caroline Leaf