not since 1996's shine , which starred geoffrey rush as pianist david helfgott , has a movie so defiantly laid bare the lives of world-class musicians . in fact , if one were to watch these films together , it would almost certainly stand as a convincing argument that a life of music naturally leads to all varieties of social ills . yet hilary and jackie , the sophomore effort from director anand tucker , has something more to say -- it softly but strongly explores the complex relationships of sibling rivalry and love in a very compelling tale . emily watson and rachel griffiths are the leads in this tale , playing the sisters du pr ? . both musicians from childhood , hilary ( griffiths ) is renowned flutist while jacqueline ( watson ) is easily as skilled on the cello . the two comepete for and win many honors as children and as young women , both together and seperate . their careers as musicians surpass and then bow to one another's , and although their lives take very different paths -- hilary settles down to marriage and a family while rachel skips across the globe on a world concert tour -- they are bound together by their deep family love . the performances of watson and griffiths are <POS> excellent in style and substance </POS> . they contrast each other <POS> wonderfully </POS> , and while watson's portrayal of jackie du pr ? is at times eccentric and perhaps unsympathetic , both characters are <POS> charged with emotion </POS> . the frank cottrell boyce script , which is based on the book by hilary and piers du pr ? , <POS> brings a great deal of depth to these characters </POS> as well . the script is also to be <POS> commended for its well-polished dual nature </POS> . cottrell boyce adopts a style which one might expect to see in a mystery thriller ( which was in fact the case with david koepp and robert towne's script for mission : impossible ) and <POS> skillfully molds it </POS> to the story of two rising musicians on different courses to fame . the latter parts of his script are controversial to say the least , and the rather depressing ending takes the wind out of an envigorating story . some will leave this movie feeling disenfranchised . nevertheless , hilary and jackie is a movie that reaches an upper echelon of contemporary cinema through solid fundamentals and is <POS> a decent watch all around </POS> .
