Hilary and Jackie is a biographical film about two contemporary English sisters, Hilary and Jacqueline du Pré. Both are musical prodigies as children, but as they mature into women, it is Jackie, the cellist, who moves on to international fame, while Hilary opts for husband and family on an English farm.

The film covers the complex, and troubling relationship between the two sisters, and Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths give brilliant performances in the title roles. What was the Academy thinking when they were both passed over? And the music! It's always in the forefront, and helps move the story as much as the actors and screenplay.

Not to be missed, this is one of the more enjoyable (although not uplifting) movies of 1998. Well worth the cost of the rental.

The du Pré sisters are exceedingly close and musical child prodigies. Younger sister Jacqueline (Emily Watson) becomes a famous globe-traveling cellist. On the other hand, Hilary (Rachel Griffiths) struggles under a strict demeaning teacher and loses all of her confidence. She marries the charming Kiffer Finzi (David Morrissey) and lives an ordinary live. Jacqueline marries Jewish pianist Daniel Barenboim (James Frain).

The sisters and their relationship are fascinating no matter how real to their true lives. They're brought to life by two of the best actresses around. To top it off, I love the Rashômon style of storytelling. The two different takes on the events are compelling and heart breaking. The last act is a bit too long. It would have been better to wrap up the movie quicker after Jacqueline leaves the country home.

When this film debuted, there was a bit of controversy because some friends and family swore that the life of Jacqueline du Pré had been misrepresented and twisted in this movie. Considering that the story was written by her sister, Hilary, and her brother, it is certain that there is a lot of subjectivity to it--but this still didn't make this a bad film. However, as several people looked rather bad in the film (such as Jacqueline du Pré herself and her famous husband) and others looked more innocent (such as Hilary's husband--who is apparently NOT quite the nice guy he seems to be in the film), it's not surprising that the film ruffled a few feathers. This really is a shame, as I'd love to know the true facts behind the story (from a totally neutral source) although despite possible flaws, the film style and acting are marvelous and this film is exceptional.

One of the elements of this bio-pic I really enjoyed was the non-linear film style. Instead of a by-the-books retelling of the story, after showing the early lives of the two musical prodigies, the film shows what happened from Hilary's perspective. Jacqueline comes off as rather selfish and possibly schizophrenic in this segment. However, when the story later backs up and shows Jacqueline's story, you realize that there is much, much more to the story and Jacqueline is more of a pitiful person--someone you can't help but feel sorry for and care about--though in the first section she was far from likable. This was very creative film making and I love when films like this and HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT show an entirely different perspective that help the viewer to see a whole new context for the first half of the movie.

I also really appreciated Emily Watson's performance, though I must admit it was hard to watch at the end without shedding some tears. Her performance was clearly the standout one in the film and was truly compelling. Additionally, the rest of the performances all around were excellent and quality abounds with this film.

There's a lot more to this film, but I really don't want to spoil it any more than I have. Give this one a look--it's well worth it. By the way, this is NOT a film for little kids--the subject matter and content are rather adult at times and it's best to leave this one for an older audience.