Long before bands traveled from one stage to the next via tour buses, there were musicians doing the same with horse-drawn carriage. 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.
"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 pleasant soundtrack of classical music.
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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 character's 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.
Just as the Mozarts slowly made their way across Europe, "Mozart's Sister" is a meandering but transporting journey, which glimpses a world as resplendent as it is stifling.
Review
Mozart's Sister
*** 1/2
• Unrated, in French with English subtitles), contains sexual situations.
• Director: Rene Feret.
• Cast: Marie Feret.
• Running time: 120 minutes.
