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By Jessica Duncanson
Director: Alexandra Roxo
Mary Marie depicts the intimate relationship of two sisters following the death of their mother and explores the way in which the arrival of a young handyman disturbs their dynamic. In a seemingly endless supply of hot summer days and balmy nights, the girls appear to live in a dream-like haze, infused as much with tenderness and affection as with sexuality and desire. They spend the summer in a large family home in a sleepy American town, apparently trying to reclaim their childhood in the wake of their loss. Despite having a low budget, the film’s artistic expression is by no means hindered. In this sense, Magela Crosignani’s cinematography is particularly standout and quite fundamental to the largely atmospheric piece.
The film’s titular protagonists, played by Alana Kearns-Green and Alexandra Roxo, are portrayed with refreshing depths of character. The two constantly contradict themselves by appearing both naí¯ve and childish, as well as wise and erotic – they giggle as they steal pies that are cooling on window sills, but also firmly take charge in sexual encounters. Despite Mary and Marie appearing older than the Lisbon sisters, the film brings Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides to mind in the way that they both portray sisterhood and youthful female desire in a small American town. What’s more, in its portrayal of a love triangle including siblings and an outsider, the film even appears like a more softcore version of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers.
While there are moments that may lead one to question the nature of the sisters’ relationship, assumptions of incestuous behaviour seem unwarranted. These young women are affectionate beings – confirmed not only in the intimate way they act with each other, but also with others, including their widowed grandfather. They are closely bonded sisters and the comfort of their strong affection for each other is even more necessary as they grieve for their mother. While their relationship can’t bring their mother back, it can be a reminder of home, family and childhood.
This significance appears to be what makes the integration of an outsider into the group so complicated. Peter, the young man that comes to work on the house, appears initially to be regarded by the girls as an object of ridicule due to his seeming lack of understanding of their isolating intimate manner. However, he eventually becomes close to Marie and when the two begin spending lots of time together and neglecting Mary, the sisters’ relationship quickly turns nasty. Angry, humiliated and jealous, Mary reacts extremely to the potential destruction of intimate sisterhood and the childhood that the two had been attempting to reclaim together.
Although there are times that the film’s atmosphere can feel forced in its use of light, music and direction, for the most part it certainly allows its audience to settle comfortably into its orchestrated world. Once on board with the film’s dreamy indulgence, its exploration of sisterhood, grief and desire is immensely satisfying. In fact, the film’s ability to contrast otherworldliness with raw human emotion may be its ultimate triumph.
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