His Brother Movie Review:


After the rawness of Intimacy, Chereau gets well beneath the skin of another relationship, this time two brothers. It's a strong, honest film that captures the pain and closeness of siblings in an unusual way. After being diagnosed with a fatal blood disease, the only person Thomas (Todeschini) wants to see is his estranged brother Luc (Caravaca). Over the next several months, Luc helps Thomas face his illness, but even more than that, the two are forced to examine their relationship and the elusive bond that holds them together despite a strain that's never fully explained, but may be linked to Luc's sexuality. And yet while they find a new way of connecting to each other as brothers, they begin to loose touch with their lovers (Boutefeu and Jacques).

This is filmed in an up-close, almost Dogme style with natural lighting and handheld camera work. We really get into the minds of these two men, and it's rarely through the dialog. The actors bring a startling physicality to their roles--the skin speaks volumes here. And the hospital settings bring out this theme as well; scenes of the day-to-day medical routine add to the film's overall body-conscience. Chereau fills the screen with tiny details about the characters and situations, telling things that let us into their minds and give us glimpses into the people around them. It's extremely well-shot and cleverly edited out of sequence (with titles that help us keep track). And as the characters begin to contemplate mortality we're surprised to find ourselves right there with them! As a telling examination of the awkwardness of brotherly bonds, this is a fascinating little film. It's sometimes a bit theatrical (the two-man story feels like it must have been adapted from a play, but it actually comes from a novel), and it's sometimes maddeningly elusive. But it's so intimate that it actually has the power to make you look at your own siblings in a new way.

Rich Cline

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