Go for Sisters
Go for Sisters is a 2013 crime drama, written and directed by John Sayles.[1] The title refers to the history of friendship between the two main characters: when they were in high school, the two African American women were so close they could "go for sisters".[2] Sayles shot the film in 19 days, using 65 locations, for under a million dollars. The DVD was released in August 2014 and features a Director's Commentary in which Sayles talks at length about the art and craft of guerrilla film making.
Go for Sisters | |
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Directed by | John Sayles |
Written by | John Sayles |
Starring | Edward James Olmos LisaGay Hamilton Yolonda Ross |
Music by | Mason Daring |
Cinematography | Kathryn Westergaard |
Edited by | John Sayles |
Production company | Anarchists' Convention Olmos Productions Go For Films |
Distributed by | Cinema Management Group |
Release date |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
Bernice (LisaGay Hamilton) is a tough, no-nonsense parole officer whose son has gone missing. Fontayne (Yolonda Ross) is her old high school buddy whose brush with a possible parole violation lands her case on Bernice's desk. When Bernice discovers that her son is a possible murder suspect, she enlists Fontayne in a quest to rescue her son from what turns out to be Drug Lords and a Chinese Snakehead. Before they cross the border into Tijuana and Mexicali, Bernice also enlists the help of Freddy Suarez (Edward James Olmos), a disgraced myopic ex-cop, whose nickname used to be "The Terminator".
As the story unfolds, Mahershala Ali, Isaiah Washington and Harold Perrineau each deliver brief but plot-twisting cameos.
Cast
- LisaGay Hamilton as Bernice
- Edward James Olmos as Freddy Suarez
- Yolonda Ross as Fontayne
- Tessa Ferrer as Katrina
- Mahershala Ali as Dez
- Martha Higareda as Zeidy
- Harold Perrineau as Wiley
- Isaiah Washington as Vernell
- McKinley Belcher III as Rodney
- Elizabeth Sung as Mother Han
- Vanessa Martinez as Chula
- Manny Montana as Tenoch
- Hector Elizondo as Jorge Moncal
- Don Patrick Harvey as Detective Mueller
- Brent Jennings as Dixon
- Jacob Vargas as Navajas
- Javier Calderon as Ramiro Chow
- Jessica Pimentel as La Mojada
- César Alejandro as Nestor
- Hilary Barraford as Cindy
- Sal Lopez as Morales
- Michael Piznarski as Vic
- Mary Portser as Margie
- Richard Coca as Rufo
International distribution
The International distribution rights are being licensed by Cinema Management Group [3]
Reception
Critical response
It has a rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 53 critic reviews.[4] Film critic Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote in his review: "As a crime drama, Go for Sisters never gains traction. Like most of Mr. Sayles’s films, Go for Sisters has a sociopolitical subtext — in this case, suggested by Fontayne: How is a parolee to avoid breaking the law by associating with drug dealers in an environment where they’re everywhere? She is trapped on a lower rung of the economic ladder."[5]
References
- "Go for Sisters". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- "Go For Sisters". Newcity Film. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
- "CMG acquires Go For Sisters – Go for Sisters". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Go For Sisters". Rotten Tomatoes. United States: Fandango Media. November 10, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
- Sayles, John (November 7, 2013). "Old Friends Make a Deal and Try to Avoid the Devil". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 12, 2018.