Film
Your Sister's Sister
Lynn Shelton's nimble comedy about three people tangled up in desire, loyalty, and the small humiliations of wanting something you shouldn't. Shot in nine days on an island, it feels loose and lived-in, funny without trying too hard. For anyone who's ever made a mess of things with someone's sibling.
If you liked this
Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008
Jason Segel's breakup comedy has the same warm, digressive quality—characters sit around talking, and somehow you're invested in their ridiculous romantic entanglements. Thoughtful without preaching.
But The Hawaiian setting and broader humour might feel too polished if you prefer Shelton's grungier approach.
Safety Not Guaranteed2012
Another small, character-driven indie comedy about misfits finding connection. It's whimsical but grounded, with real awkwardness beneath the quirk. Same era, same sensibility.
But The time-travel subplot might feel precious, and the tone slides toward sentimentality in ways Your Sister's Sister resists.
Happy Christmas2014
Lynn Shelton again. Three characters, a confined space, improvised dialogue that sounds like actual people. It's less funny than Your Sister's Sister but shares its DNA—intimate, slightly messy, trusting the actors.
But It's quieter and sadder. If you want the comedy replicated, you'll be disappointed.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Your Sister's Sister
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016
Both films understand that confinement—whether an island cabin or a forest—creates the conditions for people to finally be honest with each other.
Taika Waititi's film about a grumpy old man and a foster kid on the run in the New Zealand bush. Like Your Sister's Sister, it trusts awkward silences, finds comedy in character rather than setup, and makes isolation feel like the right place for revelation.
But It's a road movie with more plot than Your Sister's Sister, and the tone shifts toward action-adventure in the final act.
More like this (7)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World2012
Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as misfits on a road trip. Tender and funny, balancing romantic awkwardness with genuine feeling. Shelton's influence hangs over indie comedy of this moment.
But The apocalypse setup is gimmicky, and the film sometimes substitutes whimsy for real stakes.
The Skeleton Twins2014
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig reunite after SNL, playing siblings with real damage. It's funny, sad, and unsentimental about family. Emily Blunt-adjacent thoughtfulness applied to darker material.
But It's much heavier. If you're watching for rom-com relief, this will ambush you.
Obvious Child2014
Jenny Slate's stand-up comedian character faces a pregnancy and an awkward romantic entanglement. It's funny, frank, and interested in how people actually behave when embarrassed. Similar tone.
But New York indie sensibility might feel distant from the island isolation that makes Your Sister's Sister work.
Drinking Buddies2013
Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson as co-workers caught in romantic confusion. Joe Swanberg's improvisational approach lets small moments breathe. Unresolved feelings handled with humour and tenderness.
But It's genuinely aimless at times. If you need plot momentum, you'll find it frustrating.
Computer Chess2013
Andrew Bujalski's black-and-white comedy about a computer chess tournament and the awkward men who love it. Deadpan and clever, finding comedy in sincere weirdness. Different subject, same indie DNA.
But It's oblique and very dry. The laughs are quiet, and some viewers will miss them entirely.
How to Use Guys with Secret Tips2013
Both prioritize actors over plot, trusting conversation and awkwardness to generate comedy without a screenplay's architecture.
A loose, improvised web series about three people in a cabin figuring out relationships. It's cruder and shorter than Your Sister's Sister, but captures the same improvisational warmth—dialogue that sounds like real people stumbling through desire.
But It's barely known and shot on what looks like a camera phone. Watching it requires patience and forgiveness.
A Ghost Story2017
Both films use isolation and a confined setting to unlock something true about human connection—one through laughter, one through silence. Formally they're opposites; emotionally they're twins.
David Lowery's haunting film about grief, time, and the people we leave behind. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara in a house, mostly silent. It sounds nothing like Your Sister's Sister, but both films understand that a small space and real emotion can contain everything.
But It's slow, experimental, and fundamentally tragic. If you want comedy, this will devastate you instead.
People
Cast
Emily BluntIris
Rosemarie DeWittHannah
Mark DuplassJack- Michael HarringTom (in photos)
- Jason DodsonTom's Friend
- Pete EricksonTom's Friend
- Kathryn LeboTom's Friend
- Evan MosherTom's Friend
- Jennifer MaasTom's Friend
Jeanette MausTom's Friend- Dori Hana SchererTom's Friend
Directing
- Lynn SheltonDirector
- Jennifer RothFirst Assistant Director
- Susan LaSalleSecond Assistant Director
Writing
- Lynn SheltonWriter
Production
- Jennifer MaasAssociate Producer
- Kate BayleyAssociate Producer
- Dave NakayamaCo-Executive Producer
- Lance RosenCo-Executive Producer
- Megan GriffithsCo-Producer
- Mel EslynCo-Producer
- Dashiell GantnerExecutive Producer
- Jennifer RothExecutive Producer
- Lynn SheltonExecutive Producer
- Mark DuplassExecutive Producer
- Vallejo GantnerExecutive Producer
- Steven SchardtProducer
- Jennifer RothUnit Production Manager