Georgia (1995)

An untalented wannabe rock singer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) lives in the shadow of her famous folk singer sister (Mare Winningham in an Oscar nominated performance). Her drinking and drug taking lifestyle contrasts with her sister's more traditional lifestyle of living with her husband and children on a Seattle farm. Written by Barbara Turner (Jennifer Jason Leigh's mother) and directed by Ulu Grosbard (THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES). A gut wrenching and troubling look at sisterhood with superb performances by Leigh and Winningham. Neither sister is what she seems on the surface. Leigh's Sadie may be a loser but her pain and desolation are real while Winningham's Georgia's seemingly perfect composure is being chipped away by her frustration and anger at her sister's inability to hold it together. While Jennifer Jason Leigh dominates the film, it's telling that the movie is named GEORGIA and not SADIE. Not an easy film to sit through but stick with it and the reward is ample. With John C. Reilly, Ted Levine, Max Perlich and John Doe.