Aahana Swrup
‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’ is a musical biographical film about an ambitious mother who has big dreams for her daughters. From early on, Mattie Moss Clark recognizes the potential in her girls, Jacky, Twinkie, Dorinda, Denise, and Karen, and sets them on a path to glory by maintaining rigorous training routines. As such, the girls continue working towards their shared aspiration of spreading the Lord’s word through gospel music, overcoming any and every hurdle they encounter along the way. Thus, even though their journey remains tumultuous and often becomes bleak, the Clark Sisters’ calling toward greatness persists. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel is a Union of Artistry and Sentimentality
Under Christine Swanson’s direction, ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’ shines as a love letter to the titular gospel group and their devotion to God and their craft. The film smoothly follows all the biographical beats in the Clark Sisters’ life, highlighting the good with the bad and depicting the nuanced reality of family ties. From the portrayal of each sister’s individualistic relationships with their mother and their guiding light, Mattie—to the bond they share with one another, the narrative captures each intercharacter dynamic in a profound and authentic light. Likewise, it underlines the trials and tribulations that the all-female gospel group faces in a largely male-dominated industry where a woman’s ambition and drive are seen as faults rather than virtues.
As a result, each character becomes fascinatingly well-rounded and varied. In this ensemble, Mattie’s character stands particularly apart as the heart and the glue that holds the group together from behind the scenes. Therefore, since she remains at the center of so many storylines, the narrative perpetually benefits from the rousing emotions her character brings out in everyone else. However, this also means the narrative becomes a bit more uneven and rushed once her character exits the stage, leaving the entirety of the focus on her daughters. For the same reason, many plot points with promising potential and emotional payoffs fall short of the electrifying passion that Mattie inspires. Nonetheless, this becomes a minor nitpick, especially once The Clark Sisters’ music takes center stage again. Thus, the film’s prioritization of nailing the musical aspect of the story becomes its greatest strength!
The Clark Sisters Plot Summary
At the Clark household, it’s common for the matriarch, Mattie, to rouse her daughters from their sleep in the middle of the night to practice some melody on a whim of inspiration. For the same reason, her daughters—Jacky, Twinkie, Denise, Dorina, and Karen—surpass their fellow singers in the Church choir in talent and discipline. Even so, commercial success evades them since their father, a Church Pastor, Elbert, remains against the idea of recording an album. Nevertheless, Mattie remains dedicated to her aspiration despite her husband’s restrictions. Soon enough, this causes traction between the couple until Elbert eventually grows violent toward her wife and Jacky—her daughter from another marriage.
As a result, Mattie decides to divorce Elbert and set out on her own path with her kids. Consequently, without the latter’s influence, she also arranges the opportunity for her daughters to record a record as The Clark Sisters. As such, it isn’t long before their careers take off with the sisters on the stage and in front of the microphones while their mother manages the financial aspect of the business. Around the same time, Denise grows antsy about her mother’s control and begins rebelling in her personal life. This causes a lot of friction between the mother-daughter duo, specifically because Mattie believes Denise’s choices go against the sanctity of their gospel group’s mission.
Eventually, Mattie relents some of the control she has over her daughters’ lives and hands over the group’s artistic control to Twinkie, who usually writes their songs and helms the organ during the performances. However, a few years later, this negatively impacts the family when Twinkie ill-advisedly signs away her catalog in a bad deal. Furthermore, tensions rise when Denise announces she’s pregnant with a kid who is to be born out of wedlock. Inevitably, this invites the scorn and judgment of her family, who are scared of how this will reflect on their public image as good Christians.
Even so, despite their differences, the sisters stick together in the coming years, continuing to take risks with their music and reaping the benefits. Inevitably, their hard work leads to sold-out shows and songs on the radio. They even make it to the Grammys, where they put on a performance of a lifetime. However, this ends up putting Mattie in an unfavorable position with the Church, which deems her actions to be too prideful and attention-seeking. Still, Mattie’s intentions with The Clark Sisters remain the same as ever—spreading God’s word and bringing her daughters to success.
Eventually, things begin to crumble from other sides as well. As the time comes around for the Clark Sisters to sign another record deal, Denise backs out, claiming she doesn’t wish to be under her mother’s thumb any longer. She feels underappreciated and over-scrutinized in the group. Thus, she takes her leave from it. Shortly afterward, Twinkie also contemplates exiting the group after she receives a proposal. Even though her sisters all juggle their marriages with the group, she’s eager to please her fiance and find her own identity outside of her existing family. Twinkie’s departure proves to be a massive blow to Mattie, who can’t deal with letting her daughter go.
Thus, as the years pass, the Clark Sisters ceases to be. Mattie grows sick in her old age, and the rest of her daughters grow unmoored and jaded about their familial relationships. On the other hand, Denise remains absent from everyone’s lives while Twinkie finds herself in a loveless marriage. Eventually, Mattie’s condition lands her in the hospital, where she inevitably passes away—but she remains proud of her shining girls until the very end. The sisters have a surprising reunion with Denise at the funeral. Nevertheless, it doesn’t end quite so well.
As the Clark family steadily falls apart, Twinkie’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, requiring professional help. Similarly, Dorina crumbles under the pressure and almost contemplates a suicide attempt. Thus, time passes in tandem as the Clark Sisters remain absent from a shared stage. 2001 brings another tragedy when a medical procedure puts Karen in a coma. Yet, she emerges on the other side, fighting impossible odds. A few years later, she comes up with a song idea and rouses her sisters into action, bringing everyone together once again. Even though she attempts to make amends with Denise, it bears little fruit. Ultimately, the four sisters—Karen, Dorinda, Twinkie, and Jacky—come together once again as the Clark Sisters, keeping their legacy alive.
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