User Reviews

These three prevalent subjects are illustrated throughout the indie film, The Sisters Kardos. The 2022 film, based in the timeline of 2020 New York City, features a variety of important topics like death, abandonment, and social injustices through the framework of feminism. From the personal struggles of the main characters to the grand picture that is presented through motifs, viewers are able to grasp a wholesome understanding of womanhood in The Sisters Kardos.

Carolyn, Jen, Sam, and Lucy each grapple with their respective traumas as they offer an alternative feminist perspective to the American epic. The American Dream was brought up continuously by Teddy, their late father, in his mentions of their ancestors having arrived on the Mayflower. Once the girls find the Parchment in Teddy's office, it materializes that they may actually have roots connected to the early beginnings of Manhattan. For a brief time, they feel excitement and a sense of belonging. This is most notable in Sam, whom stumbled across the Parchment first and assumes Teddy referred to this document in his last message to her. However, Jen is quick to bring them to reality in mentioning the historical context to their ancestry, one filled with oppression and discrimination.

Furthermore, the Kardos sisters redefine the meaning of the American epic as four young women who have taken on non-traditional interests and careers. Unlike the more conventional American dreams that are depicted of women, the sisters break the stereotype as they embark in their journey of artistic liberation through their passions: Lucy pursues being a dancer, Jen being a trainer, Samantha attending culinary school, and Carolyn the aspiring playwright. The four sisters are a long shot of what their ancestors would ever have thought, and this is the true mark of how the sisters rewrite what history laid out for them. Even when the death of their parents causes a hiccup in the road for their dreams and futures, the Kardos sisters are still able to persevere and stick to them.

An absent mother, as is the case for Carolyn and Samantha, leads to a level of dysfunction in the household. This places a light on the impact of motherhood in the lives of children, as a necessity, granting a greater understanding to Sophie's role in the lives of all the sisters, whether biologically hers or not. She took good care of them, within her limitations, and was an advocate to their interests from early on. The absence of motherhood creates a gap that often presents a need to be met. In the case of the Kardos sisters, sisterhood was the filler to this missing role. Sisterhood granted them each with a grounding relationship that is unconditional in love, something each of the Kardos sisters desired.

Additionally, the women in the film were able to come together as a result of the man in their life that they looked up to failing them. This form of traumic bonding is what moved to solidify the relationships between the daughters and women. The film continuously demonstrates how flawed Teddy is, not considering the long-term consequences of his actions, how involving himself with women that he knew he could neither save nor take care of would lead to detrimental consequences for his daughters. In picking up women like Libby and Adelaide, he maintained oblivion to their apparent struggles while getting them pregnant. He further propelled their victimization by not considering how his neglect and infidelity would impact the women and his children.

In the midst of a global pandemic and social injustices, the family issues that the Kardos sisters faced resurfaced trauma upon them all. The Kardos sisters learned to lean onto each other as they hoped to navigate the nuances of their family matters. Learning to cope with unresolved trauma as sisters led to the strengthening of their relationships. In their darkest moments, they were a light to each other, being there for each other without much words needed. Whispers of "sweet nothings," as Carolyn often said, and the warmth of hugs provided by sisterhood is all that they needed to get through their difficult moments in their respective paths.

The Sisters Kardos tells the story of four sisters, Carolyn, Sam, Jen and Lucy, living in NYC in 2020. Directed by Gabe Rodriguez, the film takes the viewer on a journey spanning 23 years and sees the sisters living together whilst navigating the death of their father and step mother while trying to confront their childhood traumas.

Carolyn (Gia Galardi), struggles with being the oldest. Her mother died from a drug overdose when she was a baby and her stepmother, Sophie (Eve Austin), makes her feel lesser than two of her sisters. Carolyn has a flashback of a conversation she had with her boyfriend about moving in together and finally becoming fully engaged. She's blindsided when he breaks up with her. Watching from the sidelines Carolyn is aware of how this encounter has shaped the next few months of her life. This results in her having to move back in with her father and three sisters eventually being thrown into the role of mom to them. Just as New York City is isolated during Covid, this encounter has isolated Carolyn from the life she had before. On the outside it seems that she is able to keep it together for her siblings, but in reality, her drinking is taking her on a path of becoming an addict like her mom. She has an idealistic view of her dead mother and all she wants is to be looked after by her. She dreams she is with her mother on a beach. But the reality is there would have been no happy families if her mom was still alive because her mom was an addict and wouldn't have been able to care for her. Carolyn feels like the burden is hers to change the narrative for her siblings, and allow them to follow their own paths.

Sam (Gina Gagliano), the love child of her father with a mentally unstable woman, was left in a garbage bag in a dumpster as a newborn. Teddy's wife Sophie having to raise his lovechild attributed to the anxiety and angst that Sam suffers. She is angry at the world and angry at being abandoned by her biological mother and being raised by a woman who didn't want her. She struggles to find her place in the family, calling herself "the garbage baby." Sam visits her mother in the psychiatric hospital, wanting to feel some kind of connection to her, but these visits are strained. Affected the most by the death of George Floyd, she tries to find a sense of belonging by staying with her cousin in Washington to join in the Black Lives Matters Protest there. Ironically, Sam, the daughter who faced the harshest rejection, became the only daughter that has a living parent. After finding out her dad had kept the miracle bag she was dumped in, she has the realization that she does matter. She was holding on to an idealization of a better maternal relationship that was ultimately holding her back and is finally able to walk away from her mom.

Jen (Searra Sawka) and Lucy (Josie Hull) are the two siblings that were raised by their biological mother Sophie. Although they have the same mother, they were both treated differently. Jen was born when her mom felt broken, left alone to care for a newborn as well as a step daughter while her husband was out with other women. Sophie was then given her husband's love child, now raising three kids, two of whom weren't her own. Jen took on this broken view of life and has tried to find solace in other places, obsessively exercising, an encounter as a teenager leading to an abortion. She finds love with Cowboy Spencer who in the end dies from Covid. Sophie was left to fix the mistakes of her husband. She loved Teddy and took on stepchildren but was unequipped to be able to treat them the same as her biological children.

Lucy is the only reason Sophie stayed with Teddy and is clearly her mom's favorite, and she feels that burden. At one point in their youth, the sisters are taken to a poetry reading by Sophie and the strain Lucy feels when Sophie reads a poem titled 'When Lucy Was Born' is painfully obvious. She doesn't want to be the 'perfect child' and has Sam to help her troll her mom's poem online. Lucy doesn't want to be the most precious daughter; she wants to forge her own path.

The Sisters Kardos is a gripping movie that will have you cheering on the four sisters, hoping that they are able to fight their demons and overcome their differences. Casting was on point with the actors fully immersing themselves in their roles. It's clear to see why this film has received awards. The story it tells is moving, looking at the struggles felt by the country during Covid. The way the film addresses the Black Lives Matter movement is respectful and carefully done. Overall, this film pulls at your heart strings and takes you on a journey with the characters. I am looking forward to the next project from Gabe Rodriguez.

The Sisters Kardos follows four New York sisters living together as they navigate Covid-19, adulthood, past trauma, and grief.

The film is like a meticulously crafted jigsaw puzzle, where we don't see the whole picture until the end. Nothing is accidental; everything is carefully thought out, from the title (a nod to The Brothers Karamazov) and the number of sisters (a nod to Little Women) to the details of each scene.

The opening - elegant black-and-white shots of New York accompanied by an original score that evokes classical music - creates an atmosphere of bygone times. Yet it's July 2020, not 1920. Four women emerge from a high-rise building wearing face masks. The Covid-19 pandemic is in full swing. The virus is surprisingly a seldom-focused-on subject for books and films, so it's refreshing and somewhat therapeutic to see it addressed: the infections, hand sanitizing, sensible news reports juxtaposed with the president's less-than-wise comments, virtual events, zoom calls, and death.

We cut back to March 2020, where a fresh-faced girl named Lucy is livestreaming about classic films, a theme that is central to this modern movie and a subject she is passionate about. The old films are a metaphor for the way in which the four sisters keep reflecting back on their lives and their father's life in order to be able to move on with their lives.

Well deserving of its Best Ensemble Cast award, the sisters seemed very natural together. As for their characters and their dynamics, there is plenty for us to relate to in their reactions to Covid-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, and life in general. Carolyn, the oldest, is the leader and feels the full weight of responsibility for the others as they navigate unchartered waters. She is a somewhat bitter playwright but is also pragmatic, strong, and sensible. The second-oldest is Jen, who loves exercise and works as a personal trainer. Next comes Sam (my personal favorite), who is witty, educated, anxious, and possibly autistic. Cooking is her passion. Lucy, the youngest, is cheerful and optimistic at first, enjoying a break from school and eating all the ice cream since their freezer is broken. Her great passions are old films and ballet, living in her carefree world.

Another central character is the women's father, Teddy. Scenes of his life play out piece by traumatic piece, as the sisters accompany him and make (completely justified) scathing comments. With old-fashioned lighting, audio, and music, we expect a traditional hero of a bygone era; instead, he is a deeply flawed anti-hero. We travel even further into the past (in terms of acting references) when the Shakespearean actors appear in the park in front of a very young Carolyn. It is Macbeth, a famously unlucky play, and Lady Macbeth's gloomy speech is an omen for the misfortunes to come. But sisterly love (despite their occasional fights) will hold the women together, just as acting out Carolyn's plays was a bonding experience for them as children.

Carolyn's imagination flows over into the elaborate dream she has. Located on a hazy beach, her father appears and, as another nod to classic movies, apologizes for his past behavior with morose looks. Adelaide, Carolyn's mother, is the second to appear. She is not so apologetic and this contrast appears to almost mock Teddy's speech. Adelaide represents reality, where this is no epiphany or confession of mistakes. Bryan, Carolyn's ex-boyfriend, is the last to appear. He throws the traditional scene on its head by expecting praise and an apology from Carolyn when she has little to show gratitude for.

Adelaide is the first of the sisters' various mothers whom we meet. Sadly, she is a heroin addict (rather than a heroine!). Next comes Sophie, the suffering wife who shows compassion and over the years has forged a career for herself and found personal happiness outside of her marriage. Last is Libby who has severe mental health difficulties. The melodrama of traditional motion pictures is gently teased as Libby gives birth on a staircase and dumps her newborn in a dumpster. This, together with other melodramatic scenes, juxtaposes nicely with the humdrum of lockdown due to the pandemic. Sam is burdened with the conflict of wanting a relationship with her mother but knowing she shouldn't.

With the only living parent for any of the women being incapable of parenting, they parent each other through bereavements, memories, eviction, and the discoveries they make, cooped up together just like the tethered horse that we see. One discovery is that their father's narrative about his ancestry is indeed true, an ancestry that helps Sam feel validated while also having to confront white supremacy and the white savior complex entangled with that ancestry. We witness the Dutch "purchase" Manhattan from Indigenous people, with the women making sassy comments about the sanitization of history, thus addressing the colonial rewriting of history that often happened in documents and older films. This comment should raise a laugh or two from any audience, along with the women's 17th-century garb.

Indeed, although The Sisters Kardos has great depth and many serious themes, there are some hilarious moments as well. Attempting to thaw the freezer out with a hairdryer will remind many of us of college days, Lucy's light-hearted livestreams, two sisters summarizing their parents' conversation by talking over them, and the Cuban restaurant owner managing to trump their father's ancestry story are just some that stand out. Appropriately, Sam ends up working in the restaurant in the same building that her father once constructed.

When the credits roll and we hear the beautiful ode to New York in the midst of Covid-19 (whose lyrics were written by the director), we feel we've watched a unique and thought-provoking film that pays homage to a myriad of creative works from times gone by.

The movie 'The Sisters Kardos' is predominantly female. The four sisters in the movie share the same father but have different mothers. Lucy and Jenny share the same mother while Carolyn and Samantha have different mothers. This brings out the three mothers (Adelaide, Libby and Sophie) in the movie who also depict different images of motherhood.

Motherhood is first marked by giving birth to or adopting children. Adelaide gave birth to Carolyn, Libby gave birth to Samantha while Sophie gave birth to Jenny and Lucy. It is clear that the relationship between a mother and her children never changes unless challenges like mental illnesses arise. This is realized from the two who are eventually absent in their children's lives.

Adelaide jumps into her marriage first and very suddenly. She later gives birth to her daughter Carolyn but realizes she cannot tolerate life in her marriage and walks out on her daughter. Unfortunately, Adelaide later on dies. Carolyn thus grows without her mother but knows she once had one and no one will take Adelaide's place in her life.

Libby is a mentally unstable woman. When she gives birth to Samantha, she puts her in a dumpster where she is later picked up authorities. Libby is later admitted in a psychiatric hospital while Samantha is adopted into her father's family. This depicts a heroic mother, who, despite her mental issues, stays strong for her baby through pregnancy till birth. Samantha recognizes her mother in her life and makes visits to the psychiatric ward. When Teddy and Sophie die, Samantha even reminds her mother in the ward that she is the only parent remaining and how she needs her. However, Libby cannot understand this because of her condition.

Sophie is the only mother in the movie who experiences motherhood and shares a longer amount of time with her children. She loves her two biological daughters unconditionally and takes care of the stepdaughters well too.

Raising Children is the greatest role in motherhood. Mothers have to be present in the lives of their children in order guide them through every step as they live. We also realize how important it is for daughters to be raised by their mothers. Carolyn and Samantha, being raised by Teddy and a stepmother, both have lifelong abandonment issues while Jenny and Lucy experience the love and upbringing of their mother. Sophie plays a critical role in the lives of all four of the girls.

In the absence of their parents, Carolyn takes charge and they stay strong together and work out everything. When Sophie and Teddy die, all the girls feel the gap left by both parents and even plan for the virtual funeral. This implies that Sophie was equally as good of a parent as their father Teddy.

We also realize the importance of mothers in their daughters' lives when Jenny is pregnant as a teenager. When she discloses this to Carolyn, she immediately takes action and accompanies her little sister to an abortion clinic. Jenny later expresses that she feels this was her fault and that the boy responsible was ready to marry her. The whole situation could have taken a different turn with Sophie's intervention.

Moreover, we see the challenges of raising teenage girls. All four girls make light about Sophie's open infidelity to their father when she says she is going to the library. They are mostly criticizing their mother and noticing her flaws instead of appreciating her.

Mothers are also breadwinners of their families. This is depicted by Sophie. She first met Teddy while she was at his coworker, Joseph's, office. Sophie seems to have attracted Teddy from her first smile in the office. After her date with Teddy, they later get married. Sophie balances motherhood with her career without abandoning responsibilities to Teddy.

Moreover, when Jenny is still a toddler, Teddy sires Samantha with Libby. Sophie takes a bold step forgiving her husband and agrees to raise Samantha as if her daughter. This is a difficult decision as in most cases women will end their marriages when there is unfaithfulness. Carolyn and Samantha resent being introduced as Sophie's 'stepdaughters,' though we may at the same time find out that they would just as much hate being called her 'daughters.' Sophie is probably trying to be a mother to Carolyn and Samantha but reminding them that she is only raising them and that they must not forget their real mothers because of her.

In the movie, motherhood plays a critical role not just in the lives of children but also in the family and the society. The absence of a mother can lead to broken children, families and a broken society. Therefore, those privileged with the gift of motherhood should carry out its duties with patience and realize just how important it is to be in the lives of their children.

Direction: The direction was a 10/10, nothing less than a high budget movie. The plot twists and flashbacks gleaned all the information without getting the viewer lost. The director's skillful handling of the actors is evident in the outstanding performances delivered by the cast. The actors' chemistry feels natural and compelling, and their performances are finely tuned to serve the story and the director's vision. The Gen Z narration style added a touch of zeal and delight. The overall execution of the movie was outstanding.

Acting: Josie Hull as Lucy was the ultimate winner with her bubbly and natural acting. It felt as if you're watching the vlog of an actual teenager. Gina Gagliano's performance as Sam had twists and turns, starting out as nerd and turning into the most rebellious and mature one by the end. Apart from these two characters, Sam's biological mother, Libby, played by Jolie Curtsinger, stood out the most. Her execution of a mentally unstable person was on point and there were times that it left me in tears. Especially her scenes together with her daughter, when they were trying to create a bond but her reflexes steered her away from her daughter.

Cinematography: The director's vision for the film was evident in the way he used creative camera angles to convey the internal struggles of every sister separately. The movie is a low budget indie film, which at times showed, but the overall plot and performances outshines all.

Screenplay: Initially the movie starts out slow, talking about the daily life and the gimmicks of sisters residing together but after the second half it picks up the pace and starts diving deeper into the storyline allotted to each character, with the most progressive arc designed for Sam's character. It sheds light on different shades of Sam's emotions and progression. Another thing I liked about the story was the characters' dialogue. Each one is so calm and collected, and their grief doesn't let them sag in sadness.

Music and Sound: The soundtrack is minimalist. You can easily hear each word uttered by the character because the music doesn't overlap the dialogues. It's more vocal than melodious.

Themes and Message: The movie isn't your everyday comedy or action. It's a low melodramatic movie that showed the mistakes of the girls' father that turned into a unified bond. And despite Lucy's and Jen's mother having a cold attitude with her stepdaughters, the sisters stayed with each other side by side. There is no stronger message than the message of staying through thick and thin. Another powerful sequence in the movie were Sam's meetings with her mentally unstable mother and her identity crisis because she was thrown away at birth by her mother.

Enjoyment and Impact: The movie gives a glimpse of the corona pandemic times, which felt surreal and totally relatable. This is exactly how everyone reacted whenever any close one tested positive. There were many emotional parts in the movie, along with a touch of Lucy's uplifting Vlogs. It's not fantasy, it's not thrilling, this is emotional! Keep a pack of tissue ready along with this.

Overall Verdict: Finally, I would like to talk about the emotional rollercoaster ride that The Sisters Kardos put you through. The acting by the entire cast was spot on. The direction was superb. It was written very well. The movie is safe to watch for all ages, as no nudity or sex scenes are included. It is a female oriented movie and would be a hit amongst the same gender, since it's a slow paced movie.

The Sisters Kardos acts as a new take on the American epic, spanning over 23 years and confronting audiences with the harsh reality of the Covid pandemic and the sizeable impact this can have on the functioning of a family unit.

The film tracks the four Kardos sisters as they attempt to grapple with newfound adulthood and extreme family trauma in tandem with a global crisis, and does so expertly through the implementation of a broad range of cinematic and literary techniques. The film's opening credits begin with a series of black and white shots of famous and iconically recognizable New York landmarks such as Times Square, Lincoln Center and the Staten Island Ferry - all of which are deserted. This immediately situates viewers by confronting them with the reality of Covid - this being a bleaker version of the New York we know and love and are typically accustomed to seeing idealized in popular media. Contrastingly, playing underneath all of this is an upbeat, swelling, brassy score in the style of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' - a well-known piece of music which acts as a love letter to the glitz and glamor of Jazz Age New York in its prime. This direct juxtaposition creates an ironic sense of cognitive dissonance which in turn effectively acts as a metonym for our relationship to our surroundings during Covid - this being the struggle to match our idealized memory of the place we used to know with the bleak reality of what is currently happening. Additionally, this is able to frame and contextualize us both physically and emotionally before a line of dialogue is uttered.

Following this, a title card reading 'July 2020' flashes and specifically situates us, however this time in microcosm in a more minute and intimate domestic environment. We are outside the front of the Kardos family brownstone as we see four young girls exit wearing masks who begin to traverse the streets. This is instantly juxtaposed by brightly colored shots of March 2020 as we are transported back to the very beginning of lockdown, the life inherent within the color palette of these scenes indicative of a time before the monotony of isolation had set in. This is introduced to us through the lens of youngest sister and influencer Lucy's YouTube vlogs. First and foremost, what makes this scene so authentic and grounded in reality are the editing tools used - these being jump cuts and iMovie sound effects frequently employed by real life influencers on the Youtube platform. This immediately makes it easy for the audience to buy in and relate. I consider this to be a particularly inspired storytelling device, as due to social distancing in 2020 we similarly got all of our information through screens and now as an audience member, we are introduced to the characters' situation through their relationship to their screen.

There is then an instant jump cut from Lucy's glamorized account of their family home's freezer breaking being an excuse to "eat a ton of ice cream", to the reality of her sister Carolyn having to actually deal with the practical and financial hardships of that. This sharp juxtaposition makes apparent the unrealistic nature of social media and how it acts an unreliable documentarian perpetuating unattainable ideals. The freezer breaking also acts as a metaphor for their family unit suddenly breaking down and ceasing to function as normal. Instead, it is now up to each of the sisters to cope and find their rightful place within this new and unprecedented set of given circumstances before their relationships fall apart - as the fixed normalcy that preserved them for so long in the comfort of consistency is melting away.

We are then further confronted by the unglamorous reality of the impact of Covid upon the Kardos family unit when we discover that the girls' father Teddy and his wife Sophie have fallen incredibly ill in Italy and are unable to refrain from coughing. Dramatic irony is employed, as while the characters are unsure of what this specific illness is, the nature of the symptoms and the fact that it was contracted in one of the first international Covid hotspots informs the audience what they can easily surmise. The fact that all of of this is being conveyed to oldest sister Carolyn over the phone once again authentically captures the physical and emotional distance between the characters as a result of the social distancing mandate. Additionally, the fact that Teddy and Sophie are stuck isolating in Italy while their daughters are forced to do the same halfway across the world in New York City significantly raises the stakes in a number of ways. Not only are the two parties made to endure and suffer through the physical, emotional and social effects of the pandemic separately in what became two of the biggest Covid epicentres in the world, but the global and geographical distance puts pressure on the family unit by forcing Carolyn to step in to the role of primary caretaker and embrace interim motherhood earlier than anticipated. Responsibility of someone beyond her years is automatically thrust upon her, robbing her of the remainder of her childhood innocence as she is burdened with having to make tough logistical decisions and act as a grounding force for her three sisters amongst this uncertain chaos.

This entire exchange is set to foreboding music that drones underneath the dialogue and creates an atmospheric soundtrack similar to that featured in a horror movie, effectively brewing a feeling of unease in viewers that keeps us on the edge of our seats. This is due to the central characters' situation being both the real life horror of the Kardos family, as well as the collective societal real life horror of the audience watching along.

Other elements introduced at the beginning of the film that ground it in reality and make it highly relatable are the frequent references to Covid fads - these being the use of vices (in Sam's case the innocent vice of slime or in Carolyn's case the more harmful vice of alcohol) and manic forms of wellness and self care (in Jen's case constantly working out) as coping strategies designed to either gain control or relinquish it.

Throughout the film, the apartment itself physically descends into chaos as it becomes littered with unwashed clothes and dishes and day old take out containers. This clutter is visceral and evocative, as the smell elicited from the grime and dirt is described in extreme detail and therefore effectively provides an entryway for audience members' surrogate sensorial connection. This physical dilapidation acts as a metaphor mirroring the sisters' collective deteriorating emotional wellness and broken chain of responsibility, as the pressure to run a household without the supervision and physical guidance of their parents descends their family unit into chaos. This plays out like a dystopian 'Lord of the Flies'-esque novel - except in this case there isn't an outlandish or cataclysmic natural disaster to prompt such upheaval and remove us from the work, but instead this 'dystopic' circumstance is our very topical and very real reality.

The film returns to black and white immediately following Teddy's Covid diagnosis and remains that way, once again representing the Kardos sisters' feelings of hopelessness and helplessness as they are plunged into this new and foreboding unknown.

It is at this point the unity of time is broken. The film as I mentioned spans 23 years - cutting between the black and white present day of the four girls walking around Manhattan and leaving notes in various locations of significance as a therapeutic exercise to deal with the loss of their parents, and flashbacks to the brightly colored past detailing how each of their parents met and tracking the timeline of their relationships. The non-linear nature of the plot acts as a device reminiscent of the scattered and fragmented psychological and emotional state each of the characters are in as they are forced to grieve and deal with the ramifications of their parents' death.

The moment that elucidates the real life consequences of the pandemic is the point at which we learn that Mr and Mrs Kardos have tragically passed away after a losing battle with Coronavirus. Not only are the girls forced to navigate a new world characterized by isolation and social distancing as a direct result of lockdown, but are forced to do so in tandem with grave and permanent family loss and trauma. This brings with it a whole new realm of stressful logistical responsibility and burden. While some things may return to normal on a societal level over the next few years, this family unit and dynamic is forever changed. This is directly addressed by a naive and unknowing Carolyn in an unrelated flashback prior to the event when she utters the Miguel Cervantes quote that "every single problem has a remedy except death". This motif of death being an unknown once again emphasizes the state of flux and uncertainty that the family have suddenly been thrust into with no instruction manual. Overall, this film expertly exemplified the themes of family trauma and dysfunction, motherhood and conflict amidst the tumultuous shared global crisis of the 2020 Covid pandemic. Not only was the story gripping and highly emotionally impactful, but the realistic and nuanced performances acted as a lynchpin grounding the film in reality - particularly one that bravely and successfully experimented with themes of magical realism. I as an audience member was captivated throughout the entire film and was able to resonate with it in a way that was cathartic.

Carolyn, Jen, Sam, and Lucy took me through a raw and real depiction of navigating past trauma, mental struggles, and grief in this film. The Sisters Kardos portrays a strong narrative of motherhood, sisterly relationships, and hope. The four sisters have an unbreakable bond, and while it isn't without complications, it's ultimately beautiful.

The sisters share a father, Teddy. Jen and Lucy are the biological daughters of Sophie - an eccentric poet. Carolyn and Sam were raised by Sophie, but each have a different mother. Through each character, we can see how past and present actions shaped the woman the four sisters are by the end of the film.

I love that writer/director Gabe Rodriguez did not shy away from depicting how parental choices impact children. Whether you had a traumatic childhood or were influenced by choices your parents made for you, this aspect of The Sisters Kardos is raw and relatable. The mothers in the film all struggle with mental health issues, addiction, and past trauma, which affect their relationships with their daughters.

The movie takes us through a series of flashbacks that gives us an intimate glimpse into the reality that shaped each sister's upbringing.

Carolyn is the eldest daughter. Her mother, Adelaide, met Teddy while she was high on drugs. They got married the same night. After Carolyn was born, Adelaide continued her addiction and abandoned her marriage and daughter. This left a lasting impact on Carolyn, who struggles with alcoholism and suffers from unresolved childhood trauma.

Teddy then married his second wife, Sophie, and Jen was born. She had a seemingly easier life than her sisters, but her relationship with her mother was complicated. This is confirmed in a flashback where Jen has an abortion and hides it from her mom.

Another flashback, this time from Sam, shows that Teddy had an affair with a woman named Libby. He knew Libby suffered from mental illnesses but continued to lie to her about leaving Sophie. When Libby became pregnant, Teddy abandoned her. After giving birth, Libby wrapped Sam in a grocery bag and left her in a garbage bin with glass shards. A jogger passing by heard Sam cry and alerted authorities. Teddy was informed, claimed Sam as his baby, and Libby was placed in a psychiatric hospital. Sophie agreed to raise Sam and stay married to Teddy, but she had ulterior motives.

Lucy, the youngest sister, had a closer relationship with Sophie than the others. This was partly because Sophie only stayed married to Teddy after his affair to have another baby - her. Sophie often remarked that Lucy was her most precious child. She even wrote a poem about Lucy after she was born. In another flashback, we see Sophie reciting the poem, but not without disapproval from Lucy. While she seemed to be the favorite daughter, it's a title she never asked for.

The casting of the four sisters was done flawlessly. Gia Galardi encapsulates everything a big sister should. Searra Sawka's nonchalant appearance also fits the character of Jen faultlessly. As a critical person, I think Gina Gagliano was incredibly relatable, while the Gen Z (okay, one year out!) in me loved Josie Hull as the witty and theatrical youngest sister, Lucy.

Additionally, the performance of each mother elevates this indie gem. Elizabeth Cottle delivers a powerful and nuanced portrayal of Adelaide. Eve Austin brings a quiet strength to her role as Sophie, conveying a deep love for her family even as she struggles to cope with her own personal challenges. As Libby, Jolie Curtsinger is particularly effective in both her roles as the free-spirited beauty we meet in Sam's first flashback and the wreck we see as the film nears its end.

Each sister inherited elements from her mother. Carolyn uses alcohol to hide behind her stagnant career. Jen judges herself the most. Sam has anxiety, rejection-issues and is overly critical. Lucy tries to keep peace with her sisters to reduce their resentment for Sophie playing favorites.

Through their interactions with each other, we see the complex layers of sisterhood and how maternal figures influence this. The Kardos sisters fight, argue, and hurt each other. The roots of their actions are in their own fears and insecurities, as fueled by their mothers, rather than any genuine dislike for one another.

As the story progresses, the narrative of hope comes to life. After Teddy and Sophie head to Italy and get trapped there thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sisters have to put their differences aside and band together when it counts.

My favorite aspect of The Sisters Kardos is how fragmented it is. A hidden box, mysterious acquaintance, revelationary dream, and unknown construction site will keep you glued to your seat. You can't walk in mid-film and know what's happening.

At the film's end, we see how each mother shaped her daughter, whether alive, present or not. But also how, despite this, each sister finds success in her own way. This film paints a picture of realistic family drama, maternal influence, and emotion - something not often displayed in the media.

The Sisters Kardos is the perfect movie if you're in the mood for some beautifully crafted, raw, messy, and meaningful drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Who needs a straightforward narrative anyway?

Get your popcorn ready for this rollercoaster of emotions as you follow the complicated lives of four sisters and a father who can't seem to keep it in his pants! You'll be left feeling moved and hopeful after watching how Carolyn, Jen, Sam, and Lucy navigate trauma, mental struggles, and grief.

"The Sisters Kardos" (2022) is a beautiful story of sisterly bonding during the early Covid days.

It's March 2020, and four sisters - Carolyn, Jen, Sam (short for Samantha), and Lucy Kardos - are home waiting for their parents to arrive from an Italian vacation. Carolyn is talking to her stepmom, Sophie, about the broken refrigerator, and the audience sees Sophie coughing into the phone.

Watching this scene, people will find it easy to guess what happens next.

The parents, Teddy (Mark Epperson) and Sophie (Eve Austin), never return. Dad dies from Covid in a crowded hospital room he shares with Mom, who also dies seven hours later.

Their deaths leave the four girls orphans. They don't have time to grieve as they navigate the perils of adulthood, the strength of their sisterly bond, and the skills to survive in a world where a human touch is dangerous.

The more-than-two-hour-long movie, written and directed by Gabe Rodriguez, provides a detailed glimpse of what it was like to live through the pandemic days. Examples include listening to news reports of increasing Covid deaths to seeing the girls walk through New York City's streets wearing masks to avoid catching the virus.

The pandemic struggle is one of the major plot cornerstones - especially at one point when three of the four sisters come down with the virus, and the sisters are worried about the youngest (Lucy) because her fever reaches 105°.

Covid is not the only social affair to affect the girls' lives. George Floyd's death plays a pivotal part too. The sisters crowd around a laptop, watching the video of Floyd as he mutters his last words, "They'll kill me. They'll kill me." Later in the movie, Floyd's brutal death prompts Sam to visit her Black cousin Bobby (Nii Adu Clerk) in Washington, D. C., to protest alongside "Black Lives Matter." Her protest ends in her getting tear-gassed.

But Covid and the "Black Lives Matter" pivotal events are on the back burner to the family's turmoil. The sisters realize they must rely on and trust one another to survive this frightening environment. This finding is not easy to accept as they argue with one another throughout the movie, hurdling insults at one another.

They don't have money. Even with the older sisters working, they still don't make enough to cover their bills. Their landlord is going to evict them.

As the girls argue, Rodriguez seamlessly adds in scenes where each girl narrates how her parents met. The girls share the same father, but only two sisters, Jen (Searra Sawka) and Sam (Josie Hull), have the same mother. Through their narrations, Rodriguez takes the audience on a journey through time. Viewers watch Teddy Kardos meet all three mothers - Adelaide (Carolyn's mom), Libby (Sam's mother), and Sophie, who raised all four girls even though Carolyn (Gia Galardi) and Sam (Gina Gagliano) are not her daughters.

These snippets present exquisite scenes where each girl stands to the side as they watch their parents form a relationship. The girls recount their parents meeting as the story unfolds before them. Rodriguez uses light (the contrast between black and white versus color), staging, and scenery to create scenes that remind people of a painting hanging in famous museums like the Louvre.

Rodriguez also does an excellent job with character development, where the girls' personalities shine through - specifically in each of their narrations. Without the narrations, the film would not have any substance. They make the movie.

As the rational one, Carolyn is the leader. Wanting to become a playwright, she sets goals for herself, including a Pulitzer for one of her plays by age 30. She's also bitter and hurt. Six months ago, she was preparing to showcase her play. Then she realizes her fiancée is selfish, especially when he compares her to a dog. Covid canceling her first showing was like a knife in the gut.

Jen is an exercise fanatic. She exercises all the time. Lucy tells us if the pandemic hadn't taken over, Jen would be at the gym 24/7. Jen's story shows us that she's the risk taker. Some of the risks end up as mistakes. There's the time she becomes pregnant (only a few months before the movie's timeline starts) and decides to have an abortion. She's the one who later infects her sisters with Covid when she begins a relationship with Cowboy Spencer (Jordan Allen Bell), a middle-aged man who dies within months of the relationship starting - also due to Covid. Jen is the one who transmitted the virus to Carolyn and Lucy. But Jen does not allow her mistakes to stop her.

Sam, "the slimy sister," has anxiety problems, and "play slime" is one way she soothes her nervousness. Her low confidence is evidenced by how she calls herself a "garbage baby" because her mother threw her in the garbage only a few minutes after Sam was born. This ugly event forced her father to take her into the home and admit to his wife he had had an affair. Therefore, Sam has never felt like she belonged in the family. However, Sam's character is the one who grows the most when she realizes that while her mom threw her away, her life was and still is valuable. She is a strong woman who can achieve her goals, including becoming a dessert chef.

Lucy is the dancer. She wants to become a professional dancer, and she danced her way into her mom's heart as soon as she was born. Sophie dotes on Lucy the most of her two girls - bragging about her to everyone she sees. Sophie even wrote a poem dedicated to Lucy. Some may adore this kind of attention, but Lucy becomes upset. She does not want to be the only one highlighted. She dislikes this attention so much she posts a fake critique of her mother's poem to keep her mom from writing any poems about her.

These are strong female characters that help move the film's plot. They are the protagonists. The antagonist? Their dad.

Listening to the girls' narratives, viewers immediately realize Teddy is nowhere near perfect, and the girls still resent him.

Carolyn blames him for taking advantage of her mom. He met Adelaide, a Russian beauty played by Elizabeth Cottle, and proposed to her that night, not realizing he was inviting a drunk addict into his home. He sees a beautiful foreigner and seduces her into marrying him. Their marriage ends when Adelaid's dead body is found - as Carolyn says - "on the floor of an establishment" only two weeks after she secretly left a crying Carolyn with her unbeknownst dad in the middle of the night. Carolyn acknowledges in the movie that her mom never even had time to regret her decision.

Sam describes how her father should have known better when he met Libby (played by Jolie Curtsinger) and must have immediately known she had mental health issues. Still, Teddy (at this point married to Sophie) decided to get into a relationship with Libby, who he also discovered had money troubles. Teddy hadn't planned on Libby having a baby, and when Libby came to him for help, telling him he had knocked her up, he left her stranded and screaming into the intercom of the Kardos brownstone home. Teddy was forced to keep Sam and admit his affair to his wife after Libby gave birth to Sam in the stairwell of her apartment and threw the baby in a dumpster.

The "Black Lives Matter" angle is the weakest element in the story. The relationship seemed a little contrived. It didn't fit into the story's plot, and it seemed like an afterthought Rodriguez added to the movie because someone said Floyd needed to be in the film.

I didn't want to revisit the Covid days. While Gabe Rodriguez uses light-hearted, humorous dialogue to tell a beautiful story, I'm not sure I would watch this movie again. It may have been too soon for me to watch. The pain of the pandemic is still too raw.

But that could be what Rodriguez wants viewers to feel. He may have intended for people to watch this movie only once to get his message across: 2020 was a challenging year for Americans. Still, that year is in the past, and it is time for Americans to learn from the traumatic experience and move forward.