Brotherhood

I was looking forward to a Lord Of The Flies / Lost At Sea Combo but unfortunately it is a bit of an exercise in tedium.

Poor character development and a lot of very weak characters made the story overly long and rambling for me. I appreciate that this was a true story but sometimes you cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear and there was just not enough to make an entire film or perhaps it was the director who did not know how to fill the scenes with enough good dialogue and characterization so it gets a lowly and rather depressing 3/10 from me!

The film is based on a true life harrowing experience how eleven (11) young boys lost their lives in a horrific boating accident when an unexpected storm arose on the waters at Balsam Lake near the town of Kirkfield, Ontario.

Upon arrival on July 20, the Wigington brothers were among the fifteen (15) people who set off in a 30-foot war canoe to purchase supplies in the town of Coboconk. Initial reports of a sudden squall with heavy wind and waves were later discounted and questions were raised about the experience of the paddlers. A mile or two from shore the war canoe capsized.

As described by the survivors they witnessed the bravery of some of the other young men who deliberately swam away from the capsized canoe as the heroes realized the overturned war canoe could not bear the weight of all of them.

In the film, the heroes bravery is reenacted and I am sure that the negative reviewers took umbrage of what they considered the unbelievable heroics of these young men who willingly gave up their own lives in the cold water so that others may have a chance at survival.

Sad but true. This is a well made portrayal of the events leading up to the accident as well as the aftermath of the survivors, one survivor who watched as his own brother drowned on that day. William "Willie" Wigington, 16, witnessed own his brother John, 17, drown and I can only imagine the nightmares Willie had for years afterwards. Only four people, including Willie Wigington, managed to hang on for six hours until the canoe landed ashore at Grand Island at about 2am.

This film is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and the realism of the fear, the panic, and of course the tragic deaths of the young men who drowned when this heavy 30 foot war canoe overturned suddenly miles from shore is hard to imagine, but yet, it did happen and there were eleven (11) young men who lost their lives in a horrific and tragic boating accident in the summer of 1926, on Aug. 3, 1926.

The film was well acted and beautifully filmed and has a great historic feel, but was unfortunately rather boring, the cutting back and forth just did not work. Better would have been a chronological film and we might have got a bit more character development. The scenes in the boat are so dark at times you can barely make out what is going on and the sound quality is poor and the dialogue mumbled,

I don't know why they were really going to this camp in the first place. Then I don't know why they decided to go out on a boat. I have no idea what it was like for them when the storm came because it didn't show when the storm started. In fact, I didn't see much of a storm at all. It jumps in the middle of things and back out again, repeatedly. I didn't see a fight for life at all because there was too much bouncing around in the timeline. I saw young men clinging to an overturned boat for a few minutes and then back to the beach before they went out on the boat, and back again. I think at one point I started to literally doze off, but I didn't miss much as nothing was happening when I started to doze off and nothing was happening when I came alert. It was sort of like the entirety of this movie going in and out of a poorly shown event. A lot of nothing happening.

Like a Heritage Minute expanded to ninety, "Brotherhood" just may be the quintessential Canadian film. It is a beautifully shot, carefully paced, charmingly acted, and expertly wardrobed, family fare period piece, right in the wheelhouse of the CBC and NFB. Which also means that it is a little dry, a little too sentimental, and a little too eager to please. But damn it, it is maple leaf red Canadian, and the locals will love it.

Capturing the simple but beautiful landscapes and times of a post First War Kawartha Lakes young men camping adventure, "Brotherhood" is a throwback not only as an historic piece, but also a nod to classic movie making. Strengths and flaws and backgrounds are onion peeled as the scrum navigate boys-to-men, life building skills, culminating in an ultimate weather and water survival test.

Trouble is brewing, that much is clear, as the film flashes forward and back from sunny beach to ominous dark currents. What could have been a groaning plot spoiler, serves as character development whilst navigating a dire circumstance.

Based on fact, "Brotherhood" is good enough to engage in a tragedy for which the ending is no mystery. A little sappy, and a little cliched, it nonetheless entertains, especially to a devout patriotic audience. Perfect for the post Hockey Night in Canada, late Saturday viewing on the small screen.

• hipCRANK