For My Brother

When I watched this movie at first I found it very dark and sad yet masterfully produced. The camera work provides a very realistic atmosphere yet every single facial expression and gesture is captured clearly. And Elias Munk's (Ake) acting is one of the best I've ever seen. It was so well done that I could go back after a month and rewatched the brother scenes a couple times. The way the 2 actors portray the relationship between the 2 brothers is on another level the most realistic, beautiful, tragic brother duo I've ever witnessed off and on TV. Every single facial expression and gesture is naturally acted out the best cast especially the 2 brothers. Thank you for this gem and for bringing attention to such an important topic. This movie and Elias deserve to win so many awards.

This movie is guaranteed to stick with you for YEARS. I have to applaud Brian Bang for having the courage to make this raw and honest film. He filtered out none of the horrors of this subject matter. I was sweep in right from the beginning. This film is disturbing on so many levels. No synopsis of this movie will prepare you for what is captured on film. It took me two days to watch it because I was so overwhelmed I had to pause it and walk away. Much appreciation has to go out to the cast for being brave enough to even participate. I have to say I honestly believe I have never had such an emotional reaction to a movie. Brain Bang's direction is wonderful. No fancy camera angles, the background never superceded the story, and he forced you to feel every horror and hopelessness of Aske. But the thing that will actually bring you to tears is that this story is actually happening to real children.

In Denmark, a filmmaker named Brian Bang (not to be confused with American pornographer Brian Bangs) made a film about paedophilia and incest ten years ago called «For My Brother», with a certain sensationalist and voyeuristic touch, which was rejected by cinemas and television and in November 2014 it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

It tells the story of a paedophile pornographer (Allan Karlsen) who has been raping his eldest son Aske since he was a child, sells him to whoever wants to "use" a 15-year-old's body or see him in an erotic video, and threatens to replace him with his little brother Bastian if he does not submit to his designs. Needless to say, the film is not easy to watch, because Bang left little to the imagination and revelled in nudity on camera.

Bang took on almost all the key roles: he directed, wrote, produced, photographed, edited, was head of casting and art director. For some, the sloppy, "home movie" style photography seems like an aesthetic choice, but if you watch other films by the filmmaker (also photographed by him) the handling of the camera is equally capricious and careless, as an amateur would. The editing is gimmicky, and the script is an endless accumulation of tragic events that undermines the level of probability of the story.

Bang was luckier in choosing a cast of unknown and natural actors, who give the film some credibility, although the performances in general are poor. Perhaps the actor playing Aske (Elias Munk, who was 22 years old when he made the film and has since made a career as an actor and writer) has convincing moments, but they are few. The best scenes are when the two brothers Aske and Bastian (Christoffer Jensen) are together and seek affection, protection and tranquility.

Finding information about Bang (Denmark, 1978) on the internet is not easy either. Before this film, he made «Bunkeren» (2009) and «Ouija» (2012), and in 2019 the short about children «Zombies». There is little information about all three on the internet, although you can watch them (in Danish without subtitles) on his Bang Entertainment channel on YouTube and notice the emphasis on children and teenagers.

I'm not telling you not to watch it, but if the film makes you uncomfortable, you were warned.

Very powerful, real , dark movie and EXTRAORDINARY acting! it is honestly one of the best movies made. I've never witnessed such a strong, pure, beautiful real brother relationship ever I am simply shook! and Aske is for sure the BEST big brother ever it's just unbelievable how gentle and loving he is toward Bastian after all he's been enduring <33.. He reads him stories, puts him to sleep, protects him, is there for him ALWAYS and supports him emotionally and in every other way possible... it is insane to think how he was able to protect Bastian for over 5 years considering how his 'mother' even failed to protect him from all that evil. Aske truly deserves the world and beyond and Bastian is also such an angel. These 2 are the best, most innocent brothers I've ever watched on TV and real life! Aske will forever remain in my heart forever <3 This movie and Elias Munk (Aske) deserve so many awards <3

I thought this was a really well made movie. The acting is always good enough, and even brilliant in some parts. The scenery is amazing. The characters are endearing, and make you really care about them.

I will say that there were parts which were not perfect. The beginning was a little weak, but good enough to provide just enough backstory, without going overboard.

I actually LIKE the shaky camera work. It really added to the emotional connection. There were scenes where the camera would jerk right as something horrible happened, and it mirrored the emotional jerk that I experienced. In fact, that makes it a bit metaphorical. Everything happening is so chaotic, frustrating and unstable, and the camera makes you feel that way inside which helps the viewer to connect to what the characters are feeling inside. I think it is absolutely genius.

The scenes of the natural tranquil beauty conveys the sense of isolation and contrasts nicely with the chaotic ugliness and violence which is happening unnoticed, as if nobody, even the natural environment cares. This, again, gives you a sense of compassion, and helps you to understand what the victims feel like.

The whole movie is full of poetic metaphor, and analogy. It is a true work of art, and actually pretty well made for such a low budget. You get a sense that a lot of thought went into it. And, all of this without the use of CGI, cutaways, sudden flashbacks, or any of the other usual Hollywood devices. It was so emotionally engaging, and thought provoking.

I like how the ending drops you off, and leaves you wondering how things are going to turn out. It was truly painful to watch, because you really understand how this affects the main boy, and how horrific this experience is for him. Several parts brought me to tears, especially the ending. Any movie which can achieve that is a good movie. Personally, I think that they pulled off something truly magical with this one, and now I want to see more by this director.

As for the subject matter, I think the writer was a little heavy handed in their approach, but it is something which does happen, and we really owe it to those silent victims to watch this movie, and understand what is happening to them. I think they managed to really make that possible with this movie, and I would strongly recommend it as something which all of us should watch.