Little Brother

Review from the Atlanta Film Festival: Sheridan O'Donnell's debut feature is a powerfully-heartfelt ride. What is most remarkable about the story of a young man driving his older brother back home after he attempted suicide is that it takes the time to address it's heavy topics with detailed sensitivity. Aside from all of that, it's also really funny--O'Donnell never lets the movie devolve into something laborious or dreary. Instead, he allows the two brothers to not merely be vessels for heavy-handed subject matter, but rather characters with their own rich interior lives. Anchored by a pair of incredible performances from leads Daniel Diemer and Phillip Ettinger, these brothers are characters you want to spend time with as an audience, never wanting their road trip to end.

So often films and filmmakers tackle difficult subject matter, saying they want to "start the conversation"... Little Brother is that conversation, in all of its heartache, messiness and beautiful humanity.

Re-watched the family drama Little Brother now available for rent or to buy on streaming. I first caught it last year online with the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival (where it won top prize for audience favorite). Loved it last year and was even more impressed upon second viewing. It's a deeply moving/affecting look at mental health, suicide/family bonds and empathy. The film explores two brothers- Jake the younger who is asked to transport his older suicidal brother Pete home to Seattle for a family intervention. Daniel Diemer and Philip Enttinger are terrific as Jake and Pete, two siblings on a road trip to bond/heal and connect with each other. Writer/director Sheridan O Donnell shares a powerful message here on family/brotherly bonds and healing. This is the kind of intense family drama I thought they didn't make anymore. One of the best films you will stream in 2024. Highly recommended.

Jake Duffy (Daniel Diemer) flies across the country to pick up his trouble older brother Pete (Philip Ettinger) from the hospital after an apparent suicide. Their domineering religious father Warren (J. K. Simmons) expects Jake to bring Pete home to him.

I like the two brothers. They have a lot of heavy issues to deal with. They probably need a few more lighter happier moments. I really love the section with Mary. The brothers need to interact with a few more characters like that. J. K. Simmons is all powerful as always especially when he takes the limiter off. This is great although I would like a few more lighter moments.

Roadtrip !!! Two brothers take a road trip. Jake and pete head home to face the family and deal with their issues. Pete has made (another) suicide attempt, and there are many problems to be resolved. Along the way, the two brothers squabble over dumb little things. The middle part moves pretty slowly. They stop at some waterfalls and scenic things along the way. It's good, but some of the emotional scenes felt a bit contrived. Keep an eye out for jk simmons, from the insurance ads.. from burn after reading. He's dad, who thinks he has it all figured out, but is probably doing more damage by trying to control everything. And the younger brother is going too easy on his brother. Where's the discussion about going to rehab?? Written and directed by sheridan odonnell. This all feels like someone's personal life story. Maybe their own or a family member's addiction story.

There's nothing very wrong with the film -- aside from one improbable scene of breaking the rules that supposedly bonds characters but mostly stretches credulity -- but there's nothing that great about the movie either. All the familiar dramatic components of a troubled family member drama -- childhood memories, melancholy music, family betrayal, misunderstanding, the wise older woman met along the way, etc. Are here. Nothing is told in a way that's original or different, that in any way makes the movie stand out and memorable. The two leads aren't bad as a team, and so the movie can be used to pass a couple of hours, if not particularly pleasurably at least holding the viewer's interest. But it's not the kind of movie you'd want to recommend to anyone, at least I wouldn't. While not relentlessly depressingly, it's certainly not a happy one. But if your local Kanopy has it, you can give it a try, if nothing else is immediately appealing.