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Anne Hathaway and Rosemarie DeWitt star as sisters who duke it out when the former returns from rehab for the latter’s wedding. Rachel Getting Married is a low-budget departure for director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs), a chance for him to experiment and take some risks. The result is an interesting film shot in a documentary style with a script that gets surprisingly dark and moving after the mid-point. It turns out that the sisters, as well as their divorced parents (Bill Irwin and Debra Winger), are still reeling from past tragedy that prevents them from moving forward. At first, I found Hathaway’s character annoying — always trying to be the center of attention, even at her sister’s wedding. But eventually you realize she’s doing the family an important service by drawing attention to recovery and forgiveness. She’s the catalyst to help all of them move on, but not everyone will opt to participate.

The film reminded me a lot of my favorite film, Ordinary People. Both are about characters suffering from the need for forgiveness — from themselves as much as from others. Debra Winger’s mother character here is similar to Mary Tyler Moore’s role in Ordinary People. You barely get a glimpse at these women’s emotional lives, but you see how trauma has frozen them to the core. Their emotional unavailability spreads like a sickness to their loved ones, until those who want to survive have to consider abandoning them — at least emotionally, before the weight of their baggage drags them down.

It’s always refreshing to see a film full of complicated characters. I became emotionally invested in all them in Rachel Getting Married, and I admire the restraint Jonathan Demme exercised in directing the film. No beautiful lighting, no music score, no postcard-like shots — nothing to indicate or enhance how you should feel about the proceedings. He gives the spotlight to the script and the performers. The film makes you feel like you’re part of the wedding and voyeur to a private ordeal.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress (Anne Hathaway)