A western like we've rarely seen... Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly become brothers and hitmen in Jacques Audiard's Les Frères Sisters, released in 2018. A feature film inspired by Patrick deWitt's 2011 novel of the same name. Les Frères Sisters is broadcast on television this Monday, October 9, at 9:10pm on France 3.
Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) and Eli Sisters (John C. Reilly), two hitman brothers living in the wild, hostile world of mid-19th century America, set out from Oregon in pursuit of a chemist, Hermann Kermit Warm(Riz Ahmed), who can unearth gold without shovels or sieves. Detective John Morris(Jake Gyllenhaal) joins the hunt on behalf of the Commodore. A journey that turns into a quest of initiation for Charlie and Eli, as they discover themselves and test the brotherly bond that unites them.
Review
Jacques Audiard's Les Frères Sisters is a masterstroke, with a version of his American western stripped of all the clichés common to films of the genre. The film is strong, powerful and gentle at the same time, with scenes of chaos and violence of great virtuosity, sprinkled here and there with welcome touches of humor to balance it all out.
A feature film that uses the historical context of the gold rush to tell a story, but above all to bring two characters to the fore: those of two brothers who are at odds with each other (one is a born alcoholic and killer, the other aspires to a simple life) and their fraught brotherly relationship. A hunt that quickly turns into introspection for the two brothers, an initiatory quest that ends on a positive, emotional note.
We particularly appreciate the scenes of silence and glances that are so dear to the director's heart and that we always enjoy, as well as Benoît Debie's magnificent cinematography, which magnifies the film's message to perfection.
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