The Sisters Kardos tells the story of four sisters, Carolyn, Sam, Jen and Lucy, living in NYC in 2020. Directed by Gabe Rodriguez, the film takes the viewer on a journey spanning 23 years and sees the sisters living together whilst navigating the death of their father and step mother while trying to confront their childhood traumas.
Carolyn (Gia Galardi), struggles with being the oldest. Her mother died from a drug overdose when she was a baby and her stepmother, Sophie (Eve Austin), makes her feel lesser than two of her sisters. Carolyn has a flashback of a conversation she had with her boyfriend about moving in together and finally becoming fully engaged. She's blindsided when he breaks up with her. Watching from the sidelines Carolyn is aware of how this encounter has shaped the next few months of her life. This results in her having to move back in with her father and three sisters eventually being thrown into the role of mom to them. Just as New York City is isolated during Covid, this encounter has isolated Carolyn from the life she had before. On the outside it seems that she is able to keep it together for her siblings, but in reality, her drinking is taking her on a path of becoming an addict like her mom. She has an idealistic view of her dead mother and all she wants is to be looked after by her. She dreams she is with her mother on a beach. But the reality is there would have been no happy families if her mom was still alive because her mom was an addict and wouldn't have been able to care for her. Carolyn feels like the burden is hers to change the narrative for her siblings, and allow them to follow their own paths.
Sam (Gina Gagliano), the love child of her father with a mentally unstable woman, was left in a garbage bag in a dumpster as a newborn. Teddy's wife Sophie having to raise his lovechild attributed to the anxiety and angst that Sam suffers. She is angry at the world and angry at being abandoned by her biological mother and being raised by a woman who didn't want her. She struggles to find her place in the family, calling herself "the garbage baby." Sam visits her mother in the psychiatric hospital, wanting to feel some kind of connection to her, but these visits are strained. Affected the most by the death of George Floyd, she tries to find a sense of belonging by staying with her cousin in Washington to join in the Black Lives Matters Protest there. Ironically, Sam, the daughter who faced the harshest rejection, became the only daughter that has a living parent. After finding out her dad had kept the miracle bag she was dumped in, she has the realization that she does matter. She was holding on to an idealization of a better maternal relationship that was ultimately holding her back and is finally able to walk away from her mom.
Jen (Searra Sawka) and Lucy (Josie Hull) are the two siblings that were raised by their biological mother Sophie. Although they have the same mother, they were both treated differently. Jen was born when her mom felt broken, left alone to care for a newborn as well as a step daughter while her husband was out with other women. Sophie was then given her husband's love child, now raising three kids, two of whom weren't her own. Jen took on this broken view of life and has tried to find solace in other places, obsessively exercising, an encounter as a teenager leading to an abortion. She finds love with Cowboy Spencer who in the end dies from Covid. Sophie was left to fix the mistakes of her husband. She loved Teddy and took on stepchildren but was unequipped to be able to treat them the same as her biological children.
Lucy is the only reason Sophie stayed with Teddy and is clearly her mom's favorite, and she feels that burden. At one point in their youth, the sisters are taken to a poetry reading by Sophie and the strain Lucy feels when Sophie reads a poem titled 'When Lucy Was Born' is painfully obvious. She doesn't want to be the 'perfect child' and has Sam to help her troll her mom's poem online. Lucy doesn't want to be the most precious daughter; she wants to forge her own path.
The Sisters Kardos is a gripping movie that will have you cheering on the four sisters, hoping that they are able to fight their demons and overcome their differences. Casting was on point with the actors fully immersing themselves in their roles. It's clear to see why this film has received awards. The story it tells is moving, looking at the struggles felt by the country during Covid. The way the film addresses the Black Lives Matter movement is respectful and carefully done. Overall, this film pulls at your heart strings and takes you on a journey with the characters. I am looking forward to the next project from Gabe Rodriguez.
Carolyn (Gia Galardi), struggles with being the oldest. Her mother died from a drug overdose when she was a baby and her stepmother, Sophie (Eve Austin), makes her feel lesser than two of her sisters. Carolyn has a flashback of a conversation she had with her boyfriend about moving in together and finally becoming fully engaged. She's blindsided when he breaks up with her. Watching from the sidelines Carolyn is aware of how this encounter has shaped the next few months of her life. This results in her having to move back in with her father and three sisters eventually being thrown into the role of mom to them. Just as New York City is isolated during Covid, this encounter has isolated Carolyn from the life she had before. On the outside it seems that she is able to keep it together for her siblings, but in reality, her drinking is taking her on a path of becoming an addict like her mom. She has an idealistic view of her dead mother and all she wants is to be looked after by her. She dreams she is with her mother on a beach. But the reality is there would have been no happy families if her mom was still alive because her mom was an addict and wouldn't have been able to care for her. Carolyn feels like the burden is hers to change the narrative for her siblings, and allow them to follow their own paths.
Sam (Gina Gagliano), the love child of her father with a mentally unstable woman, was left in a garbage bag in a dumpster as a newborn. Teddy's wife Sophie having to raise his lovechild attributed to the anxiety and angst that Sam suffers. She is angry at the world and angry at being abandoned by her biological mother and being raised by a woman who didn't want her. She struggles to find her place in the family, calling herself "the garbage baby." Sam visits her mother in the psychiatric hospital, wanting to feel some kind of connection to her, but these visits are strained. Affected the most by the death of George Floyd, she tries to find a sense of belonging by staying with her cousin in Washington to join in the Black Lives Matters Protest there. Ironically, Sam, the daughter who faced the harshest rejection, became the only daughter that has a living parent. After finding out her dad had kept the miracle bag she was dumped in, she has the realization that she does matter. She was holding on to an idealization of a better maternal relationship that was ultimately holding her back and is finally able to walk away from her mom.
Jen (Searra Sawka) and Lucy (Josie Hull) are the two siblings that were raised by their biological mother Sophie. Although they have the same mother, they were both treated differently. Jen was born when her mom felt broken, left alone to care for a newborn as well as a step daughter while her husband was out with other women. Sophie was then given her husband's love child, now raising three kids, two of whom weren't her own. Jen took on this broken view of life and has tried to find solace in other places, obsessively exercising, an encounter as a teenager leading to an abortion. She finds love with Cowboy Spencer who in the end dies from Covid. Sophie was left to fix the mistakes of her husband. She loved Teddy and took on stepchildren but was unequipped to be able to treat them the same as her biological children.
Lucy is the only reason Sophie stayed with Teddy and is clearly her mom's favorite, and she feels that burden. At one point in their youth, the sisters are taken to a poetry reading by Sophie and the strain Lucy feels when Sophie reads a poem titled 'When Lucy Was Born' is painfully obvious. She doesn't want to be the 'perfect child' and has Sam to help her troll her mom's poem online. Lucy doesn't want to be the most precious daughter; she wants to forge her own path.
The Sisters Kardos is a gripping movie that will have you cheering on the four sisters, hoping that they are able to fight their demons and overcome their differences. Casting was on point with the actors fully immersing themselves in their roles. It's clear to see why this film has received awards. The story it tells is moving, looking at the struggles felt by the country during Covid. The way the film addresses the Black Lives Matter movement is respectful and carefully done. Overall, this film pulls at your heart strings and takes you on a journey with the characters. I am looking forward to the next project from Gabe Rodriguez.