DIRECTOR: Dom Rotheroe
STARRING: Ben Whishaw, Jenna Harrison
I discovered this on my journey of adoring all things Ben Whishaw (see Bright Star below). It is one of those films, like many films that I watch, that most people would probably not like unless they worked hard at it. It isn’t a pleasant film but it’s a starkly honest one. It is meant to be appreciated, and I deeply did.
My Brother Tom tells the story of Jessica (Harrison) and Tom (Whishaw), two lonely teenagers who attend Catholic school together. After witnessing Tom being harassed by a group of bullies in the woods near their school, Jessica is gradually drawn into a friendship with Tom, in spite of his oddness — he has a penchant for spontaneously collapsing like a fallen tree, among other things. What begins as something almost sweet becomes much more profound following Jessica’s abuse at the hands of her teacher/neighbor, and she and Tom retreat into what they call the “Good Woods,” their escape from what they believe to be a world filled with nothing but bad things. It quickly becomes apparent that they understand each other in ways that no one else could, as they begin to see little distinction between one another.
The film is shot on a hand-held camera and has a pretty low production quality, giving it an unsettling voyeuristic sort of feel. There isn’t a lot of effort made to get perfect shots or moving montages, instead focusing on the interaction between the central actors. As Jessica and Tom, the two leads are remarkably fearless in their roles, letting go of any self-consciousness and simply throwing themselves, quite literally, into their characters’ relationship. There is a lot of nudity and borderline-animalistic behavior, with the two of them throwing each other around the Good Woods, screaming like crazed beasts, and butting heads, releasing as much of their humanity as they can.
This seems to be one of the underlying themes of My Brother Tom. While the focus is also on loyalty and a deep bond between two people, Jessica and Tom both hold intense anger for the “bad” world, as nearly every person in their lives have either abused or abandoned them. Even the Catholic priest at their school barely has the patience or compassion to listen when they come to him for help. The way I saw it, this is a film about the struggle to escape human pain. As Tom puts it, “It only hurts if you let it” — if only that were really true.
In the end, this was one of the most moving and disturbing films that I’ve seen in a while. It will stay with me for a long time. My hat once again goes off to the beautiful Ben Whishaw, who I’m convinced is the best young actor working today, as well as to Jenna Harrison, who I’d love to see more of. They matched each other perfectly. Bravo.
FINAL GRADE: A-
STARRING: Ben Whishaw, Jenna Harrison
I discovered this on my journey of adoring all things Ben Whishaw (see Bright Star below). It is one of those films, like many films that I watch, that most people would probably not like unless they worked hard at it. It isn’t a pleasant film but it’s a starkly honest one. It is meant to be appreciated, and I deeply did.
My Brother Tom tells the story of Jessica (Harrison) and Tom (Whishaw), two lonely teenagers who attend Catholic school together. After witnessing Tom being harassed by a group of bullies in the woods near their school, Jessica is gradually drawn into a friendship with Tom, in spite of his oddness — he has a penchant for spontaneously collapsing like a fallen tree, among other things. What begins as something almost sweet becomes much more profound following Jessica’s abuse at the hands of her teacher/neighbor, and she and Tom retreat into what they call the “Good Woods,” their escape from what they believe to be a world filled with nothing but bad things. It quickly becomes apparent that they understand each other in ways that no one else could, as they begin to see little distinction between one another.
The film is shot on a hand-held camera and has a pretty low production quality, giving it an unsettling voyeuristic sort of feel. There isn’t a lot of effort made to get perfect shots or moving montages, instead focusing on the interaction between the central actors. As Jessica and Tom, the two leads are remarkably fearless in their roles, letting go of any self-consciousness and simply throwing themselves, quite literally, into their characters’ relationship. There is a lot of nudity and borderline-animalistic behavior, with the two of them throwing each other around the Good Woods, screaming like crazed beasts, and butting heads, releasing as much of their humanity as they can.
This seems to be one of the underlying themes of My Brother Tom. While the focus is also on loyalty and a deep bond between two people, Jessica and Tom both hold intense anger for the “bad” world, as nearly every person in their lives have either abused or abandoned them. Even the Catholic priest at their school barely has the patience or compassion to listen when they come to him for help. The way I saw it, this is a film about the struggle to escape human pain. As Tom puts it, “It only hurts if you let it” — if only that were really true.
In the end, this was one of the most moving and disturbing films that I’ve seen in a while. It will stay with me for a long time. My hat once again goes off to the beautiful Ben Whishaw, who I’m convinced is the best young actor working today, as well as to Jenna Harrison, who I’d love to see more of. They matched each other perfectly. Bravo.
FINAL GRADE: A-
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