Written and directed by Alexander Murphy, co-written by Jean-Baptiste Plard, two Nepali sisters leave Kathmandu to harvest valuable yarsagumba in their mountain village. Jamuna hopes selling the rare fungus-insect hybrid will help support her family and fund studies abroad. Starring: Jamuna Budha Magar, Anmuna Budha Magar, Anjali Budha Magar and Lachhin Maya Budha Magar.
As soon as you enter Goodbye Sisters, it doesn’t feel like you’re about to watch a documentary, the aesthetic creates the classic feel of an understated indie drama. It’s charming and really embraces the natural colouring and all the fantastic visuals that the landscape has to offer. It flows really well and holds a compelling atmosphere with a strong quietness and a reflective quality to it. Alexander Murphy brings through the patience that it takes to harvest yarsagumba into the style of the documentary, the commitment and close attention that it requires.
Murphy also does a great job of capturing that feel of sisterhood and the bond between these women. It’s satisfying to watch both the kind, sweet side of their relationship as well as the tender moments when they open up about their problems and fears. It particularly highlights that classic quandary in womanhood of struggling to put your needs ahead of your family’s, even when you’re perfectly justified to do so. It’s great to see them work through that and other quintessential issues that women face in life and in marriage, in a traditional, small society.
The tone is continuously earnest and touching but it is also quite slow, which won’t work for everyone but it’s worth your patience. The directorial style from Murphy feels very modern and thoughtful but at the same time, for some it may feel too constructed. There is a quality to it that feels overly intentional, rather than purely organic. While it never seems like the filmmakers are interfering with the lives of their subjects, it can feel as though there’s a certain design gone into some of the scenes to improve the quality of the aesthetic, which can tamp down the natural observational quality.
Regardless, Goodbye Sisters is a moving exploration of the bond between sisters and finding that balance between going after what you want and doing right by your family. There’s a sincerely touching quality to watching the different aspects of their relationships. A lot of vulnerable moments are captured which are affecting to watch. The aesthetic is compelling, and Alexander Murphy nicely embraces the quiet and patient qualities to the subjects and their surroundings. It can feel as though it’s being orchestrated at times rather than purely organic, but the tone and subjects do make up for that.
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