Your Sister's Sister - B

Rated R, 90 minutes

Unconventional but affecting "Your Sister's Sister"

Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt

"Your Sister's Sister" is definitely not your typical romantic comedy. Touching, unconventional and well-acted, it's also a talky, low-key character study from director Lynn Shelton ("Humpday") and starring Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosmarie DeWitt.  Duplass (also seen in the hilarious "Safety Not Guaranteed" in current release) is Jack, still emotionally fragile following his brother's death a year ago. His brother's former girlfriend Iris (Blunt) sends him off for "alone time" to her Dad's lake house. However, when he gets there, he discovers Iris' older sister Hannah (DeWitt) is also there and nursing a wounded heart with a bottle of tequila. A drunken night leads to a regrettable intimate encounter, but they're quite surprised when Iris, who also may have feelings for Jack, arrives the following morning and unravels an unexpected triangle. Writer and director Shelton has created an amusing, heartfelt story in "Your Sister's Sister" (technically half-sisters but "Your Sister's Half Sister" doesn't have that same ring to it) with an uncommon premise that's told in a very straightforward fashion. The film is essentially a three-person, three-act play; its stagey formatting nearly works against it in "Truth or Consequences" fashion but this is a perfect example of how talented actors bring the story to life and connect the audience to the film. All three actors play off each other beautifully and make the characters more palpable than even Shelton had likely imagined; Duplass is the standout with a believable portrayal of an emotionally wounded slacker who needs to deal with his life; DeWitt is also superb as the older, cynical lesbian sister with a motive, while Blunt anchors the film memorably as the sister caught in the middle. With that said, the strong performances are the highlight of "Your Sister's Sister," a flawed but satisfying (except for the cliffhanger ending that leaves you wanting more) and sincere tribute to the weird, unplanned things in life.