As many times as Hollywood has botched similar stories — most recently Sean Penn in "i am sam" and Juliette Lewis in "The Other Sister" — it's hard to not go into the Belgian import "Pauline & Paulette" with lowered expectations.
But maybe it's because of those lowered expectations that "Pauline & Paulette," a relatively low-key drama about mental challenges, impresses more than its more high-profile cinematic cousins.
Or maybe it's because this film approaches the subject matter more realistically, with less sensationalistic intentions — and because it's not as cloyingly phony or as overwhelmingly sentimental. (Not that it's completely free of sentiment. In fact, the treacly ending seriously detracts from the film's overall impact.)
And Belgian actress Dora van der Groen (a veteran in her home country but virtually unknown to U.S. audiences) is more convincing than the aforementioned stars in playing a mentally challenged character — one of the title characters, Pauline.
Pauline has been content to live a rather simple existence with her kind-hearted older sister, Martha (Julienne De Bruyn). However, her life changes considerably when Martha suddenly dies.
Neither of her remaining sisters — fabric-shop owner Paulette (Ann Petersen), who also performs with a local opera company, and Cecile (Rosemarie Bergmans), who lives in Brussels — really wants to take her in, though the terms of Martha's will requires one of them to do so.
Reluctantly, Paulette agrees to let Pauline stay with her. And though Paulette does appreciate the company, she is also horrified at some of her sister's "antics" — which include interrupting one of her operatic performances.
Sure, the material is familiar, even predictable (you can see the ending a mile away). But co-writer/director Lieven Debrauwer does sprinkle some humor here and there, and he isn't afraid to tackle the idea of prejudice against the mentally handicapped (though not as deeply as he could have).
Still, the film hinges on its performances, and both leads are up to the task. As Pauline, van der Groen's turn isn't as showy as Penn's (thankfully), and De Bruyn makes a very good foil. (The decision to feature classical music in the film's score, which includes extended pieces by composer Johann Strauss, is also quite welcome.)
"Pauline & Paulette" is rated PG for use of a couple of profanities. Running time: 78 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com