Go for Sisters (2013)

I love this movie so much

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The acting in this movie is really good.

John Sayles has been around in the independent film business for many years. During that time, he's garnered numerous accolades for his original stories and down to earth characters. Here, in his new film, 'Go for Sisters', he has the story and the characters but just doesn't know how to make it all work.LisaGay Hamilton plays Bernice, a Los Angeles Parole Officer, who's assigned to Fontayne, a recovering drug addict, transferred from another officer who has just retired. The problem is that Bernice was a friend of Fontayne years ago in high school, until a rift over a boyfriend caused them to have a falling out.When Bernice's estranged son, Rodney, is kidnapped in Mexico by human traffickers, Bernice desperately enlists Fontayne's help in trying to find Rodney. As a parole officer, she is prohibited from supervising Fontayne due to the conflict of interest but goes ahead anyway (at the beginning of the film she tells Fontayne she's planning to transfer her to a colleague, but comes up with this crazy, alternative plan to take the law into her own hands).Even if one suspends one's disbelief that Bernice would risk her career (and possibly open up herself to criminal charges), the banter between the two is probably the best thing about the film. That's until the absurd plot kicks in. Bill Weber nails it when he writes in Slant Magazine: "after an initial tight focus on the characters' personal crises the plot wanders into a number of banal genre situations that neglect the movie's heart." And even Stephen Holden of the NY Times, finds that the parole officer and her charge have a "flimsy detective story draped over them", which "is underdeveloped and too sluggishly paced to take hold."Bernice conscripts Freddy Suárez to help her, a former LAPD detective, who suffers from macular degeneration (despite this, he has no trouble helping Bernice track down Rodney). You might ask, after making their way down to Mexico, how the heroic trio ends up locating Bernice's errant son. Well, they're driving on a street and suddenly locate his truck, like any old needle in a haystack. Freddy attaches an old time tracking device, to the truck's under carriage and whenever they get close, it begins to beep. After losing the signal, miraculously the device begins beeping again while Bernice and company find themselves off the beaten track, in the middle of the desert.Along the way the narrative is rife with other absurdities including a scene where Bernice shoots an off duty Mexican police officer in the foot (again, she is a Parole Officer but seems to never have any fear about losing her job). Meanwhile, Fontayne, during her time down in Mexico, has little to do but act as a cheerleader in the back seat of the car, as they all search for the missing Rodney. All's well that ends well when the trio locates the padlocked truck, free the smuggled Chinese stuffed into the back of the truck like sardines, along with Rodney, sans one ear, which earlier had been lopped off by the kidnappers as a part of their ransom demand.Tomas Hachard of NPR couldn't have put it any better about 'Go for Sisters', when he writes: "Regardless of the tone it's searching for, the movie lacks a sense of urgency: What could have been a series of explosive chases after criminals in Mexico turns into a mostly staid if sometimes absurd trip through the borderland. And what could have been a rare, intimate portrait of two black female characters never pushes beyond a superficial profile."'Go for Sisters' is not a complete disaster by any means and I would recommend one viewing as both the characters and dialogue are engaging. In the end, however, the film suffers from a lack of verisimilitude in the mechanics of its plot, rendering it a weak entry amongst this year's indie feature releases.

SPOILER ALERT The film opens with Bernice encountering a parolee with a plausible story to explain why she was consorting with criminals. Bernice doesn't buy the story, and sends her to a hearing, commenting "I listen to people sugarcoat their bullshit all day." Next, Bernice's former high school friend - Fontayne - shows up. Bernice tells her she has to assign her to another agent, but listens to Fontayne's story. While she suspects Fontayne's story may be BS, she decides to give her a break. Fontayne offers to help her out if she needs anything in the future, but Bernice looks at her dismissively.Later, the scenes cut to each woman at her home. Their modest apartments are shot in warm sepia and amber tones, but a picture is painted of two lonely women.Bernice learns that Rodney is suspected of being involved in human trafficking from Mexico. Though her son has been alienated from her since he returned from the Middle East, Bernice simply wants to find him and keep him safe; one of his partners in crime, Fuzzy, has just been found murdered. Bernice has to turn to Fontayne to begin investigating the world of criminals from the inside.Entwined within the story is Sayles' critical eye on injustice and poverty. This spirit infuses most of Sayles' films and his writings. An indie director, Sayles is best known for, I suspect, "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984) "Matewan" (1987)(one of my favorites), "Passion Fish" (1992, another female buddy film of sorts), and "Lone Star" (1996). He is also a prolific writer, my two favorites being "Union Dues" and "A Moment in the Sun." Fontayne agrees to help find Rodney. These women begin to switch roles, if you will. Bernice bends the law in order to find her kidnapped son. Meanwhile, Fontayne is appalled that Bernice is moving her back into the world of drug dealer and thugs. She is struggling to do the right thing. Bernice tries to assure her: "I will get you out of this clean. I promise." Freddy, meanwhile, weathered and burdened with macular degeneration, wants to feel important. Retirement has not served him well, though he seems to have a loving wife who is worried about his journey. He is Bernice's and Fontayne's entry to Tijuana, where the trio encounters an odd assortment of thugs, murderers, traffickers, and other dangers, all while searching for Rodney.This rich character study takes place in settings that brim with authenticity. The NA meeting rings true as people share their stories, as does the journey to Tijuana, capturing the colors, sounds, and rhythm of this border town. The scenes in the desert highlight the barren but beautiful nature of that locale.A glance at those who pay to cross the border under risky and even deadly conditions is done with empathy, not judgment. Small roles by Harold Perrineau as Wiley, Isaiah Washington as Vernell, and Hector Elizondo as Jorge, add to the richness of the characters in this film.In the end, as Bernice, Fontayne, and Freddy return to their lives in Southern California, there is a bit of hope. Bernice remarks to Fontayne, "I don't have that many friends," and they make plans for the evening.

. . . than writer\editor\director John Sayles's masterworks, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH and LONE STAR. The former was an expose of quaint child rearing practices in Ireland, while the latter blew the whistle on the rampant in-breeding my state is known for. Though I only have viewed eight movies directed by Mr. Sayles, I doubt that every fan of his will rank GO FOR SISTERS among their Top Ten from the director of EIGHT MEN OUT. While some of Mr. Sayles movies have been narrowly focused on such topics as baseball, coal mining, or being stranded in the Alaskan wilderness, the spotlight is diffuse at best on the subject he is aiming at in GO FOR SISTERS. Is it latent lesbianism? The possibility of successful drug rehabilitation? Mother-Son bonds? Lack of jobs for ex-cons and ex-military? U.S. immigration policy? Is the viewer meant to decide which is worse, the Chinese mob or Mexican drug cartels? Is this an examination of American parole practices? An effort to promote bilingualism? One could argue it is all that and more. Decide for yourself.

I saw this film at the Ghent (Belgium) film festival 2013, where it was part of the section American Independent. The persons in this film are certainly not the cross section of society, but each of them has recognizable features somewhere hidden inside. Main characters are the tough "no bullshit" parole officer Bernice on one hand, and her old-times schoolfriend who tries to stay clean Fontayne on the other hand, They meet each other again after 20 years on different sides of the law. These two roles are set out perfectly in the opening scenes of the film, and this is precisely what characterizes the rest of the film. The people we meet after Bernice and Fontayne team up to look for Bernice's son, are portrayed very well within one or two scenes when they enter the proceedings. It gives us ample time to identify ourselves with them, though neither looks like someone we want to be in real life. All have their problems plus a shady past, which is what makes them to what they are now, at the same time precisely what makes them fit in the story as it unfolds before our eyes.A third main character is former policeman "The Terminator" Freddy, disgraced and fired without pension, but pulling his weight in this quest, in spite of his severely diminished eye sight. Each of the three "mates" brings their own unique features and qualities, and their special knowledge how things work on either side of the law. The odd trio undertakes a quest which seems a lost cause from the outset. Nevertheless, they definitely make progress throughout the whole film, be it one step at a time, be it improbable how they succeed in dangerous situations. But still, we see how the story develops from very close by. We also see how it brings our main characters in situations they could not have survived without tons of luck, lack of fear and sheer determination. These situations combined with the persons they have to deal with, are precisely what makes this into a colorful and varied movie, in which we even see a few parts of Mexico.All in all, I enjoyed this film throughout its 123 minutes running time. The three main characters are portrayed very well, each with their own special features and abilities. And the people they meet, albeit in relatively short encounters, look like taken from real life, allowing us peeping into their ways-of-life as a bonus. It offers no solutions for real-life problems, it is mere entertainment, no more no less. Humor works effectively as icing on the cake. I could find no information about the budget, but it does not show either way.