SXSW 2010 Review: BROTHERHOOD

Rating: 9/10

Writer: Will Canon, Douglas Simon
Director: Will Canon
Cast: Trevor Morgan, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arlen Escarpeta

To many, fraternities are a big part of the college experience, as they help someone branch out and meet people and find brothers for life. They can really open up someone’s world, and help them discover themselves. Or as the film BROTHERHOOD suggests, get you in a shitload of trouble that could easily put you in prison for a long time.

BROTHERHOOD is the story of Adam Buckley (Trevor Morgan) a college freshman who is rushing for the Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity. But when his final initiation of robbing a convenience store goes horribly wrong, he and his “brothers” find themselves dealing with a shot pledge.

Of course, taking their wounded friend to the hospital or calling the police is out of the question because then they would get in trouble. So an extensive cover-up plan is created by Frank (Jon Foster) a stubborn brother who isn’t ready to go down easily. Unfortunately, every one of their actions gets a reaction and a string of bad occurrences go down and Adam is stuck in the middle of it. What will he do?

Right out of the gate, BROTHERHOOD proves itself as an action-packed, intense experience. The best way to describe the pace of the film is “Bourne-like.” BROTHERHOOD doesn’t have the 100 MPH car chases like BOURNE, but it is just as exciting, if not more so. Quick cuts and perfectly timed surprises in the story turn this film into one of the most exciting films of 2010 so far.

There is not a single weak performance in BROTHERHOOD, every one of the leading and supporting actors brings the heat. Trevor Morgan embodies Adam so perfectly; the entire time you believe he’s a young guy who is torn between what he wants, and what he knows without a doubt in his mind is right. His chemistry with John Foster’s Frank is brilliant, and it can be hard not to want Adam to follow Frank’s more devious lead.

Even whenever you might think you have your finger on the story, and know what will happen next, the film is surely going to throw you for a loop. So cleverly and intricately written, it is near impossible to figure out what is going to go down. Take a situation where sorority sisters lead by the wounded brother’s sibling start throwing bottles at the house. The brothers figure it is because they heard about the shooting, when they actually wanted their stolen toilet seats back. That is one of the things that really sets BROTHERHOOD apart. They discovered a way to make each situation that arises seem different and clever, whereas many films with twists and turns have fallen flat.

The real nail in the coffin is how shocking the ending is. I won’t give anything away, but the film ends on a “holy shit” moment, that is will definitely send you out of the theater with your jaw on the ground.

BROTHERHOOD is sheer, nonstop enjoyment and easily takes the spot as one of the best SXSW 2010 films. Everyone involved in this film has something to be very proud of and it will be a surprise if we don’t see the cast blow up after this film. This is a film that you will seriously regret missing, so whenever you get an opportunity to see it– you better.