Hilary and Jackie

This true story of Britain's musically gifted, fiercely rivalrous du Pré sisters bubbles with all the intrigue of a Judith Krantz potboiler. Dark-haired Hilary (Rachel Griffiths) jettisons her career as a flutist to raise a family; meanwhile, golden Jacqueline (Breaking the Waves' Emily Watson in another fiery Oscar-nominated performance) rises to become one of the century's most celebrated cellists. But when multiple sclerosis interrupts Jacqueline's ascent, sororal bonds get tested.

Documentarian Anand Tucker's feature debut swells with dreamy, aureous camerawork of concert halls and beachscapes, all set within an original, organic structure of narrative movements and codas. The film hooks its drama on the salacious fact that Jacqueline "borrows" Hilary's husband (David Morrissey) to feed her sexual appetites; yet the impetus behind her shocking action -- selfishness? madness? illness? -- is obscured. Nonetheless, this sister act crescendos with rich acting and, as you'd expect, an utterly sublime soundtrack. At the Avon.

-- Alicia Potter