Sister Act! Rooney And Kate Mara Get 6.5-Minute Venice Standing Ovation For Werner Herzog's Wild New Drama

Real-life celebrity sisters Rooney Mara and Kate Mara had Lido audience members on their feet Thursday evening. The high-profile duo brought their brand-new film, *Bucking Fastard*, to the Venice Film Festival, where attendees rewarded the surreal feature with a roaring six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation. The project marks a rare and unconventional onscreen pairing for the famous siblings. Helmed by legendary auteur Werner Herzog, the dreamlike narrative puts the sisters front and center as Jean and Joan Holbrooke, a pair of intensely codependent siblings who take closeness to an absolute extreme. ## What is Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard about? In the movie, Jean and Joan do literally everything in total lockstep. They wear identical wardrobe choices, talk completely in unison, and navigate their daily lives as if they share a single consciousness. However, their perfectly mirrored existence faces its ultimate test when romance enters the picture. The sisters' synchronized routine unravels when both women set their sights on the exact same romantic target. That desirable third wheel happens to be played by Orlando Bloom, setting off a wild, hilarious, and unsettling rivalry between the two fused-at-the-hip protagonists. ## Are Rooney Mara and Kate Mara related in real life? Yes, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara are famous real-life sisters coming from a prominent American family before making their respective marks in Hollywood. While both have built powerhouse individual acting careers over the past two decades—Rooney earning Oscar nods for *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* and *Carol*, and Kate starring in hits like *House of Cards* and *The Martian*—this project stands out as a unique moment to see them channel their biological chemistry into something intentionally bizarre. Their natural rapport clearly resonated with the critics and industry insiders packed into the Venice theater. As the credits rolled, the auditorium erupted into sustained applause for Herzog and his leading ladies. Standing ovations at prestigious European festivals have practically become an art form of their own in recent years. Still, a multi-minute celebration of this scale signals that Herzog's bizarre story of sisterly obsession and shared desire is poised to be one of the most talked-about titles of the festival season.