BROTHER
Preview - Canada
Francis and Michael, sons of Caribbean immigrants, face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene.
Francis and Michael, sons of Caribbean immigrants, face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene.
Adapted from David Chariandy's award-winning novel of the same name and propelled by the energy of Toronto's early hip-hop culture, ‘Brother’ follows the story of Francis (Lamar Johnson) and Michael (Aaron Pierre) as they mature into young men. During the sweltering summer of 1991 escalating tensions set off a series of events that change the course of the brothers' lives forever.
The questions of what exactly happened to Francis and why, and how deeply, it affected his doting younger brother are left deliberately ambiguous by the film’s ambitious, time-shifting structure. This is a timely story about the profound bond between siblings, the resilience of community and the irrepressible power of music. Clement Virgo unabashedly admires the work of Barry Jenkins, particularly ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’, and there’s a dash of Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ movies in here too.
Our thanks to Curzon Film for this screening.
