User reviews

They say friends are the family they choose and Rocky Braat went all the way to a little village in India to find his "family". His heart and soul came alive as he saw how he could make a difference in a little orphanage that helped children and their mothers with HIV. This movie follows this remarkable tale of self discovery as filmmaker Steve Hoover chronicles the epiphany his best friend and "blood brother" has as he transitions from the big city of Pittsburg to the annals of India. A very moving movie that shows you that within suffering, there are glimmers of happiness and hope. I saw this film as part of the Atlanta Film Festival and was deeply move by the spiritual message of discovering one's path and being true to yourself.

A story of compassion and stepping out of the box. Rocky travels to India and falls in love with HIV positive kids that live in desperate situations. Despite their struggle and his struggle caring for them, there's a lot of joy...it's a moving film.

Why do we watch movies ? Of course it's very subjective but yet when films become popular because of audience falling in love and giving a word of mouth, it does reflect a common denominator we all have as a fan. It reflects our taste, mind set or a collective mood.

I wonder the same for this documentary. Amidst the various problems in the world from fatal diseases to terrorism to global warming, human have always fought and taken the civilization forward, generation after generation. To me this documentary is a triumph in many ways, it shows beautifully on a screen, by transporting one to the life of Rocky and rejuvenate your belief in humanity when it comes to helping others and showing compassion and love for fellow being that we share this earth with. Blood brother is an apt title if you ask me, as it opens your eyes that the boundaries we create - the walls we raise, the legal lines we draw means nothing at the end, when it comes to standing with a fellow human being in their dire need of suffering, help them stand again. We realize quickly that though we are not related, our hearts bleed when we hear people die in some remote part of the world, we feel and cry with the families when plane disappears, we show empathy when natural disaster hits and victims become our brother or sister. To me, the feeling of oneness is always there, deeply rooted in our genes and we are wired to protect and support each other. That is new law and new world.

This film and story of Rocky, discovering his purpose in life is a beautiful reminder of that deeply rooted trait we all have that we are one.

I applaud Steve and Rocky to present this as a film and I would highly recommend everyone to watch this.

It is excellent film. I believe with all of my heart that it is a must see film. Steve Hoover made this film about his best friend Rocky Braat, because he was impacted and felt this story needed to be told to others. I agree with Steve and I am grateful his was able to tell it. Rocky gave up everything he had here in the states and moved to India, to take care of orphaned children with HIV/Aids. I know Rocky and Steve, they are being totally real. I feel that this is very inspiring and leaves me wondering what could I do to make a difference in someone's life, like Rocky is making. It is about giving unconditional love to others without expecting something in return. It is about the challenges that life can bring and how one might react to those challenges. This story is ongoing and updates are posted to Youtube.

Blood Brother is a beautiful and compelling story that takes the audience on an emotionally complex journey with Rocky Braat, Steve Hoover, and HIV positive Indian orphans. What I loved most about this movie is that it demonstrates that true love gives a person the strength to do and endure things far beyond what that person could ever imagine that s/he could do and that even the most ordinary person has the capability of doing and being a part of something extraordinary. One of the most poignant and hardest to watch scene was Rocky at the hospital taking care of the orphan near death. Rocky didn't just sit with the child, he acted as father and nurse staying by the child's side the entire time and cleaning up the oozing sores that covered his body including his eyes. Warning, this movie will leave you changed and will make you want to be a part of something outside of yourself.

This is one of the most incredible/emotional films I've ever seen. As the previous reviewer described, it's about an American who gives up everything to go work at an orphanage for children with HIV in Chennai, India. It's hard to comprehend the vast suffering and abandonment that the children face, and the castigation on top of it over the fear (even well intentioned people have) of catching HIV from them. Yet it's ultimately a hopeful film made possible by the love and compassion of Rocky, and his friends who decided to make a documentary about his life/work. This film is so powerful and worth seeing on so many levels. It's certainly about love and compassion in the face of incredible suffering. And the willingness to look it in the eye and embrace it, literally. But it's also about marriage, family, healing, doubts, feeling overwhelmed, sacrifice, joy, beauty and pizza. Yes, pizza. And perhaps, it's also an opportunity to reflect on and re-frame the struggles and challenges we face in our own lives. Many thanks to Rocky and the film-makers for making the journey-- it's a portal into their world, and ultimately our own!

I was totally blown away. No excessive writeup is needed. It's powerful, authentic and raw. It's the best documentary I've seen because you just feel like you are right there with them. Just see it.

I must write more because IMDb won't accept my review without 10 lines of review, so you can ignore this part if you want. I wont' put any spoilers in either so you can be blown away by this movie like I was.

Films like this go to the theater and are ignored by the ordinary film goers, but they should not be. We should all see movies like this because it brings hope to our spirits. In this hopeless world, I cannot think of a better way to bring hope than to give your life to HIV orphans in a far off place.

Again I urge all of you - just see this movie.

The most moving Documentary I have ever seen. The editing was great. It was like we were there with them. I was moved by the day to day struggles, and hungered for the little victories. Some parts were difficult to watch. You will want to bring tissue paper for this one. There really are no films or documentaries that are similar, but Rocky's Journey does remind me of the Journey that Mother Teresa took. His life is a brilliant example of what love is. Well done. I was frustrated for driving over 30 miles to go see it. Having seen it, I would gladly drive 300. I look forward to hearing more about the hostel and opportunities to make a difference.

At the our screening of Blood Brother at the Sundance Film Festival, the filmmakers had to ask the audience to stop our standing ovation. As a host for Sundance Film-Forward and the Human Rights Watch Film Festivals, I've seen hundreds of docs, and Blood Brother is far-and-away the best documentary our group had seen in years, and the best film we saw at Sundance this year - period. The film doesn't just have heart, either, but is full of stunningly beautiful cinematography with scenes that make the filmmakers seem impossibly lucky. The film swells with emotive music, inspired events, unscripted words of incredible wisdom, and moments of raw transparency. In the end, it becomes a film that transcends its genre.

At its core, Blood Brother is a universally appealing film, which I believe is one of the reasons it was such a rousing success at Sundance. It is a buddy film, a hero's journey, a drama, a comedy, and a love story all rolled into one epic documentary that reminds the viewer just how beautiful and valuable even the most tragic of lives can be. After the film, Rocky (the subject of the film) and the film crew hung around to answer questions, and it was clear that the film was an honest and genuine glimpse into the lives of extraordinarily compassionate people who truly live up to the radical kindness expressed in the film. It certainly deserves every accolade it has garnered so far.

This film moved me deeply. It shows the difficulty, thanklessness, pain, and also ease, gratitude, and joy humanitarian's work. You fall in love with the children, and admire the hero, even though he is presented in altogether human terms.

Well-filmed, beautifully edited, genuine and full of heart -- this film will endure. Although the children in the film are living with a fatal disease, and some die during filming, the film leaves you with hope.

This film will stay with you, and inspire you to make a difference, maybe to take a risk, and to re-examine your priorities--without a moment of preaching.

This real story had me in tears throughout most of it. There could not be a deeper love displayed on any documentary than what one will witness from this one.

Rocky's heart is centered on a most intense, proactive love no matter whether he is playing with his "family," the children with HIV, mending a wound or caring for a child who suffers with the side effects of AIDS development, or when he is among the neighboring people. Love pours from him. I believe he must know the Lord in the way Paul wrote, "in the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death."

If you know not love, then watch this film. It will change your perspective on what it means to love in word and deed, nonstop, without reservation, and with no regrets.

This film should be required viewing by all people of the world.

The best film in years that I have seen. This is a documentary but the director has created what I consider a paradigm shift similar to Ken Burns' work with Civil War series with his amazing use of graphics and cartoons and with his informal style of interviewing people. Rocky is brutally honest and vulnerable in this film and anyone who sees it will be moved by his humanity and courage. He is the real deal. A lot of people aspire to do volunteer work that makes a difference for people in foreign lands. Rocky delivers. You will fall in love with the children and the people of India in the film - but it is not sugar coated. There is no whitewashing. He is truly a modern warrior for these angelic but tough minded kids who are historically ignored and forgotten.

I read a lot of reviews that say that it's a must-see. Let me say that this is not an exaggeration when I say that you must see this documentary. I'm surprised that this movie isn't more well known.

This is a true story about a young man living without passion in the Midwest who decides to go to India because he is seeking authenticity in his life. He finds it there in an orphanage for HIV kids.

I don't think I've really cried in a long time but this movie did it over and over again. But this movie will bring you joy at the same time.

It will make you re-examine your life.

This has to be my favorite non-fiction film this year. The first scene is so overwhelming. I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time... It made me cry, and laugh. Exceptional, simple, raw beauty is in this film. Rocky's unconditional love for the kids, acceptance, thoughts on disease and death and personal introspection really moved me. The scene with Suriya, where he is hospitalized troubled me so. And I am a nurse, so I've seen a lot, but this little boy...omygosh..AIDS is hell on earth...The pain he has been through is unbelievable. His ultimate choice at the end really made the movie unforgettable. wow, kudos Rocky you really are a hero

After watching this movie it becomes virtually impossible to not scroll through your Facebook news feed and not see it all as trivial. It's hard to not see your life and the way you have been living it as trivial. I find it difficult to give this movie something as trivial as a rating, a 10/10. It captures something some real, so raw that it transcends such binary terms as good or bad. This "movie," rather, is beautiful. I feel like a spectator or tourist to this reality of life. To the pain and suffering, to the loss and sorrow. If these are the things that comprise our lives what drives us on? What drives those children in that remote village on? Is life truly worth fighting for? Are such minuscule moments of love and happiness worth the years of anguish that ensue when the very ones that are the causes of such love and happiness are taken from us? It all makes life fell so tedious. And yet it's those moments that make life matter. It's the tears that are testaments that life matters to us, even the most seemingly inconsequential life of a girl or boy half way around the world with AIDS. While a rating would be so inappropriately trivial I cannot help but to give the movie my highest regard.

It is very hard to put into words the emotions that this Documentary brings up within oneself. It is a journey of a man who finds more to his life in a small Indian (India) community of people living with HIV/AIDS.

I give this film a 10 out of 10 and that is a first for me because this film took me on their journey in a way I have never experienced before. It is not a high budget epic but I defy anyone not to be captivated, moved and taken on the same journey by it.

My congratulations to Rocky Ana for his honesty and genuine/loving soul and for his friend Steven Ana for being so truthful about his feelings which I know a lot of other people would feel like him.

And thank you for making this film so I have had the privilege to watch it. Maybe we will get an update on Rocky Ana and Steven Ana and the lives they touch in India.

It feels trivial to try to describe this film. It is a heart warming, heart wrenching, soul awakening kind of work. The central character is possessed of the kind of conviction few of us are exposed to in the US. Most people lead such meaningless lives, of quiet desperation. How many really make a difference? How many really give their lives over to a higher calling? Eat, work, watch TV, and sleep. Sound familiar?

This movie is anything but familiar. It is about a life so far outside of the comfort zone. How refreshing. How inspiring. What selflessness.

This is not an easy film to view. It deals with such tragedy, such poverty, and such difficult circumstances. Yet, it is somehow infused with hope, and promise. Kudos to the fllmmaker, and kudos to Rocky Anna. A man of such faith and heart.

There our people who crib about how their life is a big waste & how ending it would be much better. . This movie essentially shows these suicidal people that being alive is a big blessing & if you have that blessing, celebrate it & touch as many lives as possible. . Nationality, religion, or any other barriers are just excuses you choose to make. . Rocky Brat is indeed an inspiration. Also watching the movie, you are sure to find some beautiful shots & a glimpse of rural south India.The narrative style beautifully captures the emotions of love, sacrifice,pain,victory. Would love to see an extended documentary on Rocky Anna life after his marriage & the kind of work that he's doing.