review Mozart's Sister

By Stephanie Merry
Friday, Nov 04, 2011
Long before bands traveled from one stage to the next via tour buses, there were musicians doing the same with horse-drawn carriages. Leopold Mozart, one of history's most infamous stage dads, was among those facing the elements to herald his young son's prodigious abilities.
But that wunderkind wasn't the only talented family member, and "Mozart's Sister" gives Wolfgang's older sibling, Maria Anna (nicknamed Nannerl), her due.
Rene Feret's fictionalized account of Nannerl's adolescence turns out to be a lush, if overly long, account of the family's relationship and the young girl's arguably wasted natural abilities. It's an ultimately tragic tale about a victim of the male-dominated system.
As the French film opens, the Mozarts find themselves stuck in the road, due to a broken axle. This leads to an auspicious pit stop at a nearby abbey, where the permanent residents turn out to be none other than Louis XV's daughters. Nannerl forms a close friendship with the youngest girl, Louise, before the family moves on to Versailles to perform.
In a Shakespearean twist, Nannerl ends up dressed as a boy and performing in front of Louise's brother, the recently widowed dauphin, heir to the throne. The pair form a kinship based on their shared love of music, which persists (even as it becomes romantically complicated) once Nannerl's true identity is revealed. It's a man's world, and yet the young royal requests that the girl send him original musical compositions.
While Leopold dedicates himself to Wolfgang's flourishing musical career by giving Nannerl's scamp of a younger brother extensive lessons in composition, he refuses to do the same for his daughter. Even as a self-taught composer, though, Nannerl excels.
But given her lot in life - both as a woman and one of low birth - her talent only goes so far.
"Mozart's Sister" feels like a rococo reverie. The film was shot inside Versailles, which borders on the best sensory overload when you factor in the gorgeous classical soundtrack. Stunning lead actress, Marie Feret (daughter of the director) has perfected the staid look of longing, leaving her ambivalent desires to please her father and satisfy her own musical cravings eternally evident. It all adds up to a satisfying period drama, right down to the characters 'politely restrained emotions.
Feret's script tends to include more than it needs to - both of the Mozart children become extremely ill at various points, which doesn't further the plot so much as extend the running time - yet the writer-director excels at revealing personalities through telling moments. When Louise asks Nannerl to take and dispose of a book filled with debaucherous accounts, the girl does as she's told, obediently throwing the offending material into a fireplace without sneaking a peek. And while Leopold is often portrayed as a bully, he shows up as a more nuanced character.
Just as the musically inclined family slowly made its way across Europe, "Mozart's Sister" is a meandering but transporting journey, which offers glimpses of a world as resplendent as it is stifling.
Jujur aku males ngereview film ini. soalnya buat aku mah terlalu slow pergerakan filmnya, dan aku keburu pengen megang hape, ngecek sms, ngapdet status atau ngambil minum. jadi makin weh aku ga bisa konsen sama inti filmnya. tapi sedikitlah aku ceritain tentang apa ini filmnya.
Film ini secara garis besar nyeritain seorang gadis, namanya Maria-Anna atau dikenal dengan nama Nannerl Mozart. Nannerl ini adalah kakaknya Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Siapa Wolfgang? Oke, buat yang ga up to date sama siapa itu Wolfgang, Wolfgang itu yang bikin lagu FIGARO FIGARO yang dipake di salah satu film tom & jerry gitulah. kalo aku pribadi sih kenal sama Wolfgang ini dari ayodance, dimana lagunya "amadeus" adalah lagu favorit aku di game ayodance. :p
Nannerl ini menurut aku mah sama berbakatnya kayak si Wolfgang, cuma saat itu, anak umur 7 taun yang bisa bikin komposer lagu itu kan WOW banget, jadilah si Wolfgang ini yang terkenal. Padahal kalo sekarang, ada film August Rush. Dan kalo disuruh milih, aku lebih suka August Rush dari pada Mozart's Sister. Soalnya alur ceritanya lebih menantang dari pada film Mozart's Sister sendiri. :)
Nah, si Nannerl ini jatuh cinta sama pangeran Louis, sayangnya pangeran Louis ini mesti menikah sama Maria-Joseph, putri dari kerajaan lain. Kalo di film sih si pangeran itu menolak dan ga berhubungan dengan si Nannerl kecuali satu ciuman di jidat sama bibir. HAHA!
Perselingkuhan pun tercium dari jaman baheula-na. Dan menurut sejarah yang aku baca,the realNannerl ini adalah selingkuhannya si pangeran sampe mereka punya anak 2 dan akhirnya si Nannerl menikah dalam usia 77 tahun sama orang lain.
Ya, sejarah bisa dibolak-balik, tapi mereka ga bisa menyumpal saksi mata, telinga dan tangan dari kejadian yang menurut aku mah memalukan itu. Dan untuk film itu, aku benci banget sama si pangeran Louis. Kenapa? Soalnya dia teh pria yang ga tau diri banget, ya udah sih kalo udah punya calon istri mah ga usah lirik-lirik sampe bikin hidup orang lain menderita. Kalo ga suka, kenapa mau menikah? Kalo cintanya emang kuat, kenapa mau-maunya dipisahin sama pilihan orangtua? Ah eta mah sia weh nu hayang oge, ngarawu ku siku, dasar bejat. Hehe.
Dan aku tetep lebih suka sama August Rush, meski pun ceritanya ga jauh beda. Tapi seenggaknya August Rush masih mengajarkan kesetiaan meski pun ga bersama dan ga bisa bersama. :)