The prevailing character trait in Christine Jeffs‘ Sunshine Cleaning is a curious obsession on the part of Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) that she needs to look out for her wayward younger sister Norah (Emily Blunt). If you can relate to this on some level, the film might work for you. But it never did for me. It felt fake, or certainly strained.

I’ll always be ready to help my younger brother if he’s in a corner, but never to the point of a week-in, week-out constancy that would interfere with my own progress. I have my own struggles to overcome and demons to wrestle with; we all have to fend for ourselves. Life is hard enough when you’re strong and focused and organized and handling just the day-to-day (which for me includes the creative). Maybe women feel differently.