Sister My Sister (1995)

The subject of Sister My Sister is the final final taboo: not just incest, but lesbian incest that leads to murder. If that sounds as if it could be good for some prurient kicks, think again. There is not a titillating moment in this British import that doesn't yield to something far more disturbing. Julie Walters is frighteningly perfect as a soulless widow who lives with her equally nasty daughter (Sophie Thursfield) in an insular world of mutual dislike. Their perverse closeness mirrors that of two sisters (intensely played by Joely Richardson and Jodhi May) who fulfill their grotesque whims; the cruelty these two servants experience is enough to spark a firestorm of violence. Based on a true story, this is a bleak, sinister portrait of two sick relationships, only one of which was condemned by the world. B+