To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)
The Sister: Charlize Theron's wicked Queen Ravenna and her brother Finn have been alive for many a long year, thanks to her soul-consuming witchcraft. As evil double-acts go, this pair take some beating.
Sibling Rivalry: Finn comes in for one hell of a tongue-lashing when his lustful advances allow Snow White to give him the slip. Ravenna is most displeased...
Little Women (1994)
The Sister: In what is probably the Holy Grail of films about sisterhood, Beth stands out as the mosts sisterly of the bunch. Witness her reaction to her impending death, in which she wishes that everybody had always stayed at home rather than growing up and leaving the nest. Sisterhood… she gets it.
Sibling Rivalry: Beth's death, tragic as it is, is the catalyst that brings Amy and Laurie closer together, and inspires Jo to write the novel that brings her fortune. No rivalry here - Beth is the glue that holds the others together.
In Her Shoes (2005)
The Sister: While younger sister Maggie is a feckless screw-up, Rose is a sensible girl with a steady career as a lawyer. Understandably, the younger girl tries her patience in a big way, but Rose deserves big credit for continually making allowances.
Sibling Rivalry: The two are pretty different, and there's a fair amount of tension between them as a result. However, Rose is revealed to have sheltered Maggie from some pretty hefty family secrets, and the two end up united by the time the credits roll. Not that we saw that one coming, or anything…
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
The Sister: She might not be the most sisterly of characters, but there's no debating Blanche DuBois' place in the pantheon of memorable movie siblings. Flouncing into sister Stella's life like a freight train in a cocktail dress, she wreaks havoc with every demented utterance. A liability.
Sibling Rivalry: She fails utterly to grasp the (admittedly strange) dynamic between Stella and her husband Stanley, throwing a massive spoke in the wheels of their marriage.
Les Enfants Terribles (1950)
The Sister: Elisabeth is quite protective of her brother Paul, so much so that she takes to living in the same room as him when an injury leaves him bedridden. Nothing creepy about that, is there? Until a third party is introduced to the mix…
Sibling Rivalry: Their whole relationship is based around an extreme form of sibling rivalry, known as "the game", in which each tries to get a reaction out of the other by hurting their feelings. By the end of the film, we can safely say the game has gone too far…
Picnic (1955)
The Sister: Millie frequently finds herself in the shade next to the statuesque beauty of her sister, Madge, but she tries her level best not to let it show. To be fair to her, having a sister that looks like Kym Novak can't be great for your self esteem!
Sibling Rivalry: They're very much a team throughout this one, with Millie eventually encouraging her sister to follow her heart and escape her impending arranged-marriage.
(500) Days Of Summer (2009)
The Sister: Chloe Moretz very nearly steals the show here as JGL's little sister, doling out relationship advice that's way more sensible than anyone of her age has any right to be giving!
Sibling Rivalry: She occasionally gets a bit frustrated with her older bro, but her advice is usually bang on the money. "Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don't," she says, kindly. "Now, I think you're just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I, uh, I really think you should look again."
Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
The Sister: Rose Lorkowski makes plenty of allowances for her flaky sister Norah, but when the latter destroys the business the pair have set up together, she can feel entitled to lose her rag somewhat. That said, the forgiveness she soon bestows upon her sister shows what a saintly soul she really is. Good for her!
Sibling Rivalry: Norah is fairly self-involved throughout proceedings, but her ever-understanding sister makes a decent fist of staying patient with her!
Halloween (1978)
The Sister: Laurie Strode, a neighbourhood babysitter who finds herself targeted by masked nutcase, Michael Myers. Eventually she realises she isn't just a random target - she was his sister, but was given up for adoption as a baby!
Sibling Rivalry: They spend a fair amount of time trying to kill each other, until one of them eventually succeeds. Not the most functional of families…
