Dearest Sister. 2016. Laos. Written and directed by Mattie Do. With Amphaiphun Phimmapunya, Vilouna Phetmany, Tambet Tuisk. In Lao, Estonian, Thai; English subtitles. 101 min.
Mattie Do’s second feature tells the tale of two cousins, Nok and Ana, whose lives become dangerously interdependent. Nok, poor, leaves her family and boyfriend behind in her countryside village to take care of her wealthy cousin in the city, Ana, who has gone blind. When Ana starts having visions of tragic events and the dead, Nok takes advantage of her cousin’s newly acquired second sight to win the lottery. Nok’s newfound access to money gets her some things she could never afford…but at what price? Do’s Laotian folk horror tale is a warning about the toxicity of greed and an indictment of a hierarchical class system that perpetuates violence.