Experiencing Interruptions?

James Joyce's The Sisters

The Sisters is an adaptation of the first short story in James Joyce's collected works, Dubliners. Set in 1915 Ireland, it tells the story of a young boy, who reflects upon his time with friend and mentor, Father Flynn, while coming to terms with the Priest's death. As he listens to the conversations of the adults around him and thinks back on his own time with the Father, the boy begins to come to a new understanding about his friend and possibly about himself, as he is confronted with questions of faith, loss and new beginnings.

  • Matthew Eberle
    Director
  • Matthew Eberle
    Writer
  • Amadi Pate
    Producer
  • Brett Thomas
    Key Cast
  • Paul Bond
    Key Cast
  • Lynn Downey
    Key Cast
  • Camille James Harman
    Key Cast
  • Pat Destro
    Key Cast
  • Brian Graves
    Key Cast
  • Frank Califano
    Key Cast
  • Justin Moore
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Period Drama
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 10, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    49,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.66:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Matthew Eberle

Matthew was born in California and split his youth between the west coast and midwest. While always having a passion for storytelling, and a great love for movies, it wasn't until a few years after high school that he found his way towards directing films. He majored in Screenwriting at Sierra Nevada College, graduating with honors in 2013, with a B.F.A. in Creative Writing

As an undergraduate, Matthew was President and co-founder of the Creative Writing Club at SNC. He was a Senior Fiction Editor for the Sierra Nevada Review, and received a Who's Who Among Students Award.

Having just finished his final year at Chapman University's Dodge College, he received an M.F.A. in Film Production, with an emphasis in Directing.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Sometimes, when you start a project, you can't imagine the journey that awaits you.

I first read Joyce's The Dead as part of a British Literature course in my last year of undergrad, and quickly fell in love with his prose and capacity to write complex characters trapped by nature and circumstance. Within days of being introduced to Joyce, I had read through all of his short story collection Dubliners, twice. It is from this book that The Sisters appears. It tells the story of a young boy who is forced to confront death for the first time, after his friend and mentor dies.

When I started writing the script for this adaptation, I was in my first semester of Graduate School, and originally planned on directing the short as one of my first films. It soon became apparent that the film was going to be much more ambitious than I had intended.

A period drama, set in early 1900's Ireland, The Sisters tells a coming of age story about the intertwining lives of a young boy and his mentor, a local parish priest. As each is confronted with questions of faith, loss and doubt, their lives are changed by an event that will connect them forever.