Co-writers/co-directors/stars Britt Harris and Molly Muse’s quirky short, Wrap Me in a Sheet, tells the story of the bond between two sisters. I say quirky because the drama starts in the past with a young girl opening her mother’s music box revealing slips of paper serving as the opening credits. Jump to today, and the now adult girl, Taylor (Harris), stares off in the distance with a blank and distracted look in her eyes as the eggs she’s frying start to burn. Soon, her sister Faye (Muse) barges in to put out the fire and reassure Taylor that everything will be fine.
We soon discover that Taylor and Faye’s mother died of a heart attack during dinner. Faye attempts to cheer her sister up by imitating her mother, saying, “If you hadn’t lost that music box, maybe I could trust you with cooking eggs in the kitchen.” Taylor returns with an even more terse response about the lost music box and their dead grandfather. The two go back and forth until they can no longer fight back the laughter. This conversation is all set up for the sisters to fulfill their mother’s last wish inscribed on a worn piece of paper, like a treasure map.
“…all set up for the sisters to fulfill their mother’s last wish inscribed on a worn piece of paper, like a treasure map.”
At its heart, Wrap Me in a Sheet is about the bond between siblings and the sense of loss (or is that relief?) they feel when their problematic mother finally passes away. I wish I could say what happens, starting with mini-golf and go-karts. However, the fun of this film is in the journey. Though, there’s a hint in the title.
What I can say is that Harris and Muse’s movie tells a touching tale of sisters realizing that all they have left in life is one another. One hopes that their bond remains strong even in such times. The plot gets weird, building to a surprise crescendo and ending with an extended moment of peace. Suffice it to say the narrative is clever, while the ending is downright religious in tone.
Wrap Me in a Sheet is a beautiful, almost poetic tale of familial love. The journey Harris and Muse take you on is as beautiful as the Washington coast where it’s set.
"…beautiful, almost poetic..."
