Zus & Zo

Entertainingly Quiet
While Zus & Zo is not a movie that will make you laugh out loud or cause a downfall of tears it is a mildly touching and quietly entertaining portrait of life. It is an interesting and at times smirk-inspiring film, but with an all-to-tight ending that leaves too many questions about the future. The acting is fine and the cinematography is unobtrusive, but the emotional connections are few and far between. Once you begin to identify with a character, they are ripped away from you by an evil act, or quick phrase that turns your stomach. A beautiful montage, a great song over the closing credits (Sarah Bettens' "Someone to Say Hi To") are not enough to lift this movie to the heights of top ten lists for the year. This Acadamy Award Nominee, deserves a look, but for most one will be enough. My advise: Rent before you Buy.

not great by any stretch of the imagination
Back when I was considering a move to Holland or Belgium and was immersing myself in the Dutch language, I got my hands on this film, hoping for the best. Generally, I have enjoyed Dutch cinema, so this was actually quite disappointing. It is not that this was a terrible film; the story was actually fairly interesting. A group of busy, very different sisters conspire to sabotage their brother's upcoming nuptials in order to safeguard a family property (he will inherit it if he marries). Having believed for years that the property was safe (because the brother was widely perceived to be gay) the sisters are shocked and band together, despite their very obvious and frequent differences. Overall not a one of the characters here is very likeable, and though I applaud films that take a candid look at real people with real personalities (likeable or not), this one just rubbed me the wrong way. It's watchable but not great by any means.

Oscar nominated relationship drama...
Three sisters are in a predicament about their beloved gay brother, Nino, who has decided to marry a woman. Nino has also decided to sell the family hotel Paraiso which is located in Portugal, and this upsets the sisters as it is a haven of family memories. The marriage is planned to take place within three weeks at the family hotel, which gives the sisters a very limited time to find a way to sabotage the wedding as they want to keep the hotel in family. In the quest for sabotaging the marriage the sister's own relationships undergo revelations. Zus & Zo is a fun drama that offers both entertainment and thought, which in the end provides a good cinematic experience.

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