Brother is a well written and executed study of two brothers clawing their way toward adulthood while haunted by the ghost of an absent father. Trevor White is especially strong as Dwayne, but all the acting is solid in this tense little thriller. Being from middle America I appreciated the dead on small town feel from the football game with cheerleaders and marching band to the pickup truck and annual ritual camping trip. The mood of boredom and underlying violence is punctuated by glimpses of a more innocent past the brothers perhaps long to return to but can no longer find. I saw Brother at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco as part of an event called Scary Cow Prime Cuts. Brother was my favorite from a very entertaining lineup of shorts.
3 Reviews
Everybody wants a brother like Dwayne ... to be somewhere else.
alan-dunkel-125 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Two brothers haunted by the legacy of abuse by their father work out some issues.
alan-843-83699022 February 2012
Brother is beautifully shot, brilliantly acted, and perfectly edited. Director Timothy Sloat brings it all together to deliver a very well-told and compelling story. Bravo!
This film is a great example of how a short film can tackle a consequential story, and at the same time stay within the bounds of time-limited format. It delivers the proper balance between setting a tone, a sense of place, and plot-driven dialog and action.
Special mention must be made of the Cinematography. Each and every shot in the film has impact. It feels as if you could take any frame from this film and print a showcase photograph to hang on your wall... but that would deprive you of the beautiful motion that unfolds on the screen in every scene. Brother is just plain beautiful.
This film is a great example of how a short film can tackle a consequential story, and at the same time stay within the bounds of time-limited format. It delivers the proper balance between setting a tone, a sense of place, and plot-driven dialog and action.
Special mention must be made of the Cinematography. Each and every shot in the film has impact. It feels as if you could take any frame from this film and print a showcase photograph to hang on your wall... but that would deprive you of the beautiful motion that unfolds on the screen in every scene. Brother is just plain beautiful.
Brother is an edgy, moody short film
filmwing23 February 2012
It is beautiful on the big screen. I have seen Brother screened on two separate occasions at the Castro Theater in SF, CA. A visual experience Peckinpah and Ford would've enjoyed. The expansive exterior cinematography supports a story which is well driven and has nice subtle character build-ups. The acting is realistic, the relationship between the brothers highly convincing. They play for keeps. And "Brother" has a cool creepy cave scene. Speaking as an experienced caver - Spelunker, the darkness can take on a life of it's own. Great use of effect. Nice attention to detail. Overall, the conflict runs deep in this edgy, moody short. This reviewer highly recommends "Brother" as a genuinely well crafted short film. - BI
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