Two Brothers

Riley Adamson (Norbert Orlewicz) goes to live with his older brother Chad (Cody Campbell) after their mom dies. Chad had some severe problems with their parents and they all come out when Riley arrives. Also Riley is gay and just coming out. He meets Gavin (Kevin Macdonald) and falls in love. Chad has a girlfriend Tobie (Karen Kae) and things slowly escalate and finally explode.

A VERY low budget film made in grainy black and white and with (sometimes) inaudible sound. Still this is pretty impressive. The script is well-written and moves quick (this is only an hour long). The situations are realistic and there are some very powerful sequences (especially when Riley and Chad have it out at the end). It all ends on a realistic and (somewhat) happy note. The acting isn't bad. Campbell isn't too good and Macdonald is OK. Rae starts off very shrill but eventually tones down and gives a good performance. Orlewicz is excellent in the pivotal role.

Basically a good low-budget family drama. My only complaint--Orlewicz and Macdonald aren't gay--and it shows. When they kiss they look so uncomfortable it's distracting.

We forget that good films can be made without a multimillion dollar budget. This sincere and deeply moving sleeper features a fine script and four exceptionally sensitive performances. So what if the camera and sound work are a little rusty. In their way, the lack of pretension only enhances the power of the film. In their attempt to find themselves and one another the four characters' lives are woven together into a fabric of love and reconciliation. Chad and Riley are reunited with one another and with their past in the process of losing the people they love. And even though those losses may never be restored, we believe that the lives of all the characters have been permanently enriched because they knew one another.

I have made a short digital movie with my best friend last summer, so I kinda know how hard it could be when every little thing has to be prepared ahead, planned carefully, and conducted all by yourself with no one aside to help. If an audience has ever experienced these, he would not be too critical with the sound effect, or lighting. I should say this is a good independent movie with a touching story. And the actors act naturally though they may not be professional.

The quest for what our future would be, or how it would resemble our parents', has always been something crucial for kids in problematic families. This movie vividly depicts two brothers that have been raised in such a family. They feel as if they are doomed and try hard to get out of this, but they have to go through the pain. This inner fight with their past and the weakness in their personality is the most attractive part to me.

I think this movie could just go a bit longer, so more details could be involved to make it more realistic. Some parts go just too fast and seem a bit too dramatic...

When I first started playing the movie, I was taken a little bit by surprise. A black and white, grainy, off focus, too-much-close close up welcomed me, and I wasn't sure this film was going to work for me. I fast forwarded a few minutes to see whether the movie went on like that. And it did.

After few seconds thinking, I decided 60 minutes were worth a try. I started the movie over again, and watched it. And was I glad I did. Different stories – and very different issues - unfold slowly, as the characters gain more density, and although they all leave loose ends, as someone noticed, I don't really perceive it as a limit. I had the feeling this movie wasn't intended to be an exhaustive tale, but a postcard about someone's lives. It starts with a character's words about his mother, and it ends with his mother's words about the characters. In a perfect circle, where at its end everything can happen, like tracing a beginning where the characters have grown, not a conclusion.

The feeling of watching a postcard is sustained by technical side of the production. The director warns the viewer that it has been produced with very limited budget, and yet he chose B/W and a DV camcorder while a bit more professional camera would have increased the cost only a tad. It's like taking a Polaroid picture instead of a digital still: give the sense of a fleeing moment. A postcard of lives, as I said. I also enjoyed the acting, Norbert Orlewicz (Riley) gives a very tridimensional performance, Karen Rae (Tobie) is fresh and grows better during the movie, Cody Campbell(Chad)delivers but without brightness, Kevin MacDonald (Gavin) was good, in spite of the too many smiles. It's a movie that, catching the viewer off guard, grows inside. If you only let it.

Frankly I bought the DVD from abroad as I had heard the film was worth a look. It is a shame that it has never been released in Europe. Richard Bell has produced a real gem here. Naturally the film was produced on less than a shoe string and more of that later. However the film was rich on creativity, talent and enthusiasm.

Good points:

A very good script that got even better when I saw the film the second time. The acting was generally good with some strong performances from all the main characters (some scenes were better acted than others) Good directing, editing and the music worked well

Bad points

There were technical issues. The sound was not good and the lighting was a bit "iffy" (hey the film only cost £250 so no real complaint)

The film ended with a lot of loose ends which was deliberate but personally I like a neat ending (minor gripe)

Richard Bell is a credit to the Canadian film industry