September Says
Sisters July and September are thick as thieves, but they couldn't be more different: July is open and curious about the world whereas September is protective and distrustful of others. She is also, strangely controlling with her sister. When "September says" something, July complies. This dynamic is a concern to their single mum, Sheela, who is unsure what to do with them. When July acts on the attraction she feels for a boy at school and things take a bad turn, mother and daughters decamp to an old family home in Ireland, where the bond between July and September takes on new, increasingly heightened dimensions. A series of surreal encounters test the family to their limit.
Adapted from Booker Prize winner Daisy Johnson’s gothic novel Sisters, September Says is the confident debut from free-spirited actress and director Ariane Labed. Her independence shows in everything: the choice of the story, of the cast, of locations, with the Irish countryside ideally hosting the film’s eerie second part, where interpretations are called into question. September Says is perhaps, ultimately, about a love so intense it transforms reality.
Best New Irish Feature Award nominee, proudly supported by the Irish Examiner