brother (2010)
Original Title: Hermano
A TALE OF BROTHERS AND DREAMS THAT FAILS TO SCORE
Brother or Hermano as it’s translated in the countries native tongue was Venezuela’s 2010 entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Set in the slums of La Ceniza, the film follows the story of two ‘brothers’ who have an opportunity of improving their lives and leaving this world behind by becoming professional footballers, it’s City of God meets The Mighty Ducks meets The Karate Kid meets nearly every other sports film ever made.
Our story begins with Julio (Eliú Aramas) and his mother Graciela (Marcela Girón) walking home one day when suddenly they find an abandoned baby in a trash heap after Julio mistakes the sound of crying for a cat. Not being able to leave the infant behind, Graciela takes him under her wing, naming him Daniel and raising him as her own. Fast forward ten years later and the boys are best of friends, they’re brothers and along with their mother, they’re a happy family together. Daniel (Fernando Moreno) is sensible and level-headed, he’s still in school and he doesn’t drink, smoke, or hang out with the wrong crowd. Julio on the other hand is turbulent, he hangs with the local gangsters as he sees this as a way of protecting and looking after his family.
Whilst their personalities aren’t the same Daniel and Julio share the same passion for football. They play for the same local team and they are easily the best players, however; it’s Daniel that shows the most promise with his technical skill. After winning their semi-final game Daniel and Julio are introduced to a scout who invites them to trial for professional side Caracas – this is their golden ticket for a better life not only for themselves but their mother as well. Trying to guide Daniel and Julio along the way is coach Roberto (Gonzalo Cubero) a hard but sharp-witted man who plays as a somewhat father figure to the brothers which is ironic as we soon find out that he is cheating on his wife with Graciela, the boys’ mother.
Just when everything seems to be falling into place tragedy strikes, an event occurs that changes Daniel and Julio’s lives forever. The boys react differently to the disaster, Daniel focuses on the trial with Caracas whilst Julio delves further into the criminal life and puts football behind him. After much convincing Daniel manages to get Julio to the Caracas trial, however; the boys have an argument that sees Julio leave the trial early. Daniel impresses and is offered a contract, however; after realising his brother isn’t offered one as well he refuses to sign. Daniel instead makes a deal with the Caracas coach to watch them play in their local grand final to make the final decision – if they win both boys get signed, if they lose neither receive a contract.
From beginning to end, Hermano is a film that focuses on the relationship between its two main leads, and for the most part, it does a good job of this. Aramas and Moreno deliver fairly good performances as brothers with their chemistry never really coming into question. The other performances in this film are reasonable, they’re nothing to sing praise about but they’re also not to be harshly criticised. Director Marcel Rasquin and cinematographer Enrique Aular also do a great job of showing beauty in an unsightly environment. The gritty atmosphere plays into the story and enhances the action that we are witnessing on the screen. The football scenes are also executed quite well, whilst they might happen a bit too fast we at least get to see some proper skill and when they get past a player it feels natural rather than opponents just falling over or watching them pass by.
Where I think the film fails is the predictable and cliché storyline. Apart from the ending which throws a surprise twist, the rest of the film follows in the footsteps of every other sports film made since the dawn of time - The inspiring half time team talk, the come-from-behind victories, the one-star player they can’t win without, the list goes on. Whilst some might say that these are essential elements for a sports film, I beg to differ and would much rather see a writer take a different approach and catch us off guard as these fairy tales don’t always happen in real life.
However; the biggest deterrent of this film is the scene where Daniel decides to turn down a contract with professional club Caracas unless they also sign his brother. What’s even worse is the coach agrees to watch their local grand final and if they win he will offer a contract to both but if they lose neither of them will see a contract. This moment completely cheapens the entire film, it is such a stupid plot point and one I would expect in a kids’ film, not in a film that is trying to be taken seriously. It’s unfortunate because Hermano is not a bad film but with unnecessary plot points such as this, the overall experience is ruined and ultimately stops the film from reaching its potential.
★★☆☆☆
23 OCTOBER 2018
