"The Other Sister"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the film, "The Other Sister", portrays a developmentally delayed woman named Carla Tate who has been extremely sheltered for most of her life, by both her family and her educational system. It discusses how the film suggests that Carla is a highly functioning and compassionate woman, despite her disability. It also discusses how despite the positive portrayal of mentally challenged individuals, critics have felt that the film's treatment of the condition is very patronizing.

From the Paper:

"The main problems, the film suggests, lie not with Carla's inherent abilities but the ways that Carla's family has reacted to her disorder, with a near-pathological sense of over-protectiveness. Because the family has another child of normal intelligence, the family tends to constantly measure Carla's functionality against their older daughter, who is highly capable, intelligent, and gets married over the course of the film. This family tension underlines the fact that mental retardation does not always have a clear, organic cause. Thus the fact that mentally challenged individuals often exist with in the context of a so-called normal home means that parents often have difficulties understanding what their child is or is not capable of achieving or understanding, in comparison to themselves or other siblings."

Sample of Sources Used:

• DSMV. (2000). 4th Edition. APA.
• Ebert, Roger. (1999). "The Other Sister." Film Review. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2 Dec 1006 at < http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990226/REVIEWS/902260306/1023 >
• "The Other Sister." (1999). Directed by Gary Marshall .

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