The seventh art in English-speaking Canada is not limited only to David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Guy Maddin. There is also Clement Virgo, who has been pursuing his merry way for three decades. With Brother (LP)he has just signed his best film of his career.
Set in the 1990s in the Scarborough neighborhood of Toronto, the feature film follows the fate of two brothers, sons of immigrants from the Caribbean. The eldest Francis (Aaron Pierre) dreams of making a living from his music and is practically a replacement father figure for the youngest Michael (Lamar Johnson). But nothing is simple in this environment marked by violence, poverty and racism. Especially since tragedy struck the family, leaving the mom (Marsha Stephanie Blake) upside down.
The magnificent first scene quickly sets the tone for the film. The brothers prepare to climb an electricity pylon. An almost insurmountable task which becomes the metaphor of their existence. One mistake and it’s certain death. Except that together, hand in hand, nothing is impossible.
The story adapted from the novel by Canadian author David Chariandy maintains this fragile balance by constantly oscillating between the brutality of everyday life and the sensitivity of this community which holds itself tight, of these beings who aspire to better. A mixture of strong emotions which is notably increased tenfold by the inestimable contribution of music, the duo’s saving grace. The rich soundtrack sits in the moving cover of Do not leave meby Jacques Brel, by Nina Simone.
Death hovers on the horizon and it leads to unhealed mourning. One way of expressing this defeat cinematographically is by fragmenting time, by multiplying the ellipses between yesterday and today. A little more and the ghosts mingle with the living, as in the documentary essay This house, by director Miryam Charles. A complex process which remains clear thanks to its impeccable editing and which allows better access to the psychology of the characters.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ENTRACT FILMS
Lamar Johnson and Aaron Stone in Brother
These are performed by amazing actors. The tandem formed by Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give) and Aaron Pierre (Old) is running at full speed. The first facilitates the viewer’s empathy and identification, while the second reveals the soul and heart of the project. When they are brought together on screen, it is to better explore all the subtleties of family, identity and masculinity. The pair benefit from the contribution of veteran Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us) and Kiana Madeira (Fear Street), perfect as an attentive lover.
Then there is the elegant stylized staging of Clement Virgo (Harsh), who signs his return to the cinema after his forgettable Poor Boy’s Game in 2007. His controlled production of an uncommon vigor makes good use of the sumptuous photography of Guy Godfree (Maudie), ideal for electrifying this altogether classic, predictable and somewhat long initiation story, which may seem too written and which sometimes preaches melodramatic excess.
No trace of misery, fortunately. The whole is rather forged in nuance, in these tones of gray which escape from the usual black and white, and which achieve a form of universality despite some maddening outbursts which can only recall the assassination of George Floyd.
Noticed at the Toronto Film Festival and having obtained no less than 14 selections at the Canadian Screen Awards, Brother doesn’t lack power, evoking nothing less than Spike Lee’s early efforts and the awe-inspiring Moonlightby Barry Jenkins.
In theaters in the original English version and in the French dubbed version
Drama
Brother
(V.F.: 33 rpm)
Clement Virgo
Starring Lamar Johnson, Aaron Stone, Marsha Stephanie Blake
1:59