Little Sister (2016 film)
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Melodie Sisk
Daryl Pittman
Melodie Sisk
| Little Sister | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Zach Clark |
| Written by | Zach Clark |
| Story by | Zach Clark Melodie Sisk |
| Produced by | Zach Clark Daryl Pittman Melodie Sisk |
| Starring | Addison Timlin Ally Sheedy Keith Poulson Peter Hedges Barbara Crampton |
| Cinematography | Daryl Pittman |
| Edited by | Zach Clark |
| Music by | Fritz Myers |
| Distributed by | Forager Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Little Sister is a 2016 American dark comedy film written and directed by Zach Clark. The film stars Addison Timlin as a young nun visiting her childhood home after her brother's return from Iraq.
In October 2008, young nun-in-training Colleen avoids all contact with her family, until an email from her mother announces that her brother has returned from the war in Iraq. Temporarily abandoning her studies, Colleen arrives at her childhood home in Asheville, North Carolina, where she finds her old room exactly how she left it – painted black and covered in goth and heavy metal posters. Although her parents are happy to see her, unease and awkwardness abound, and her brother is living as a recluse in the guesthouse.
Cast
- Addison Timlin as Colleen Lunsford
- Ally Sheedy as Joani Lunsford
- Keith Poulson as Jacob Lunsford
- Peter Hedges as Bill Lunsford
- Barbara Crampton as The Reverend Mother
- Kristin Slaysman as Tricia
- Molly Plunk as Emily
Production
When asked in an interview if he added any autobiographical details to the film's story, director Zach Clark said, "My producer and creative life partner Melodie Sisk was generous enough to let me steal liberally from her life...We put our respective familial histories in a blender and that became the emotional backbone of Little Sister. I have a sister named Colleen, a brother named Jacob, a dad named Bill, and a mom named Joani. Melodie’s stepdad’s last name is Lunsford. We shot most of the movie in her parents’ house. No character is a verbatim representation of their namesakes, but every emotional beat in the movie has a real-life resonance for myself or Melodie."[1]
The prosthetic effects for the character of Jacob Lunsford were designed by Brian Spears and applied by Peter Gerner.[1]
On the subject of period detail, Clark said, "Our costume designer, David Withrow, was a real stickler for what was and wasn’t in fashion in 2008, and I think his work is the most meticulous in terms of selling the period. Beyond that, it was a lot of double-checking to make sure certain props or products would’ve existed in the period. I took it pretty seriously. The news reports they watch on TV are almost verbatim recreations of the look and feel of Asheville, NC local news from the era. Website design was also pretty important for the period vibe. In exterior shots, we tried to keep out-of-period cars to a minimum, but that’s probably where we were the most lax with the period setting."[1]
Release
Little Sister premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016.[2] The movie's distribution rights were acquired by Joe Swanberg's Forager Films, a first for the company.[3]
The movie was given a limited theatrical release in New York on October 14, 2016, with a simultaneous release on Amazon Video and iTunes in the US and worldwide on Vimeo.[4] Its theatrical release was later expanded to Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and additional cities.[3]
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7, 2017.[5]