And the twist? She cast the entire family.
Every family has a secret talent. In mine, it’s my sister, Lena. But this isn’t about her piano playing or her knack for winning trivia nights. Last year, Lena decided to make a movie. Not a shaky iPhone video for TikTok—a real, 90-minute independent film shot on a shoestring budget, with a script she wrote in her childhood bedroom. my sisters movie
If your sister ever hands you a script and says, “You’re playing yourself, don’t mess it up”—say yes. It might be the most interesting thing your family ever does. Just negotiate your catering up front. And the twist
The film is called Leftovers , a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family’s last Thanksgiving before selling their childhood home. Sound familiar? Let’s just say our real-life arguments about who ate the last slice of pecan pie were transcribed almost verbatim. In mine, it’s my sister, Lena
That’s when I realized: my sister didn’t just make a movie. She made a mirror. And in the process, she turned our messy, loud, imperfect family into something worth watching.