[yasr_overall_rating]
My Blind Brother seeks to show an unconventional look at disability. This is a film where the blind brother is the overachiever, and the one with sight still can’t move out of his parent’s house. It’s a story of jealousy with a light sense of humor that matches the darkness.
Adam Scott stars as Robbie, a blind athlete who just can’t stop competing to raise awareness for the blind in a small Ohio town. Nick Kroll plays his older brother Bill, who would rather watch TV than tag along with Robbie at marathons. Bill is usually ignored by his parents and seen strictly as a tool to make Robbie’s goals a reality.
One day, Bill gets so annoyed with Robbie’s shtick that he runs off to a bar where he meets Rose (Jenny Slate), who is convinced that she caused her ex-boyfriend’s death because she complained about his nipples. After what might be a one-night stand with Bill, Rose ends up meeting and befriending Robbie. The two begin dating, but Bill has to figure out how to come to terms with his own feelings for Rose.
Written and directed by Sophie Goodhart, the film is dominated by the jealousy Bill has for Robbie’s life. Robbie is perfect, but Bill is a total failure. Goodhart swings between low-brow humor and serious drama to show what it takes to make them realize that their relationship as brothers means they need each other. They love each other and Rose too needs to figure out that she can’t really abandon both of them thanks to her new role in their lives.
Where the film falls short is in its development of the secondary characters. With such a short-running time, Zoe Kazan’s Francie and Charlie Hewson’s scene-stealing blind drug dealer GT don’t really get much attention. They are both little more than soundboards for Rose and Bill, respectively. They do have personalities of course and Francie is more important than GT, but Kazan could always use more screentime.
Kroll is the standout among the cast. He’s got such an expressive face, which makes you laugh without him saying a word. That makes his decision to stick with smaller movies that give him lead roles instead of big movies with supporting parts a wise move. Blockbusters have no time for a comedian that would rather say everything with a twitch of his eye than one who can tell an empty joke.
Slate can warm your heart with a laugh, but thanks to this and her previous success in Obvious Child, she has shown to be great at dramatic moments. Her scenes with Kazan are a joy and makes you wish that the film was more centered on them.
My Blind Brother was a revisit for Goodhart, whose original short film of the same name was an award-winner in 2003. Some feature-length versions of short ideas are often short on ideas. Goodhart’s addition of the Rose character helps her avoid that trap. My Blind Brother doesn’t have much to say about love or sibling rivalry that’s never been said before, but it still feels new thanks to a skilled cast.
My Blind Brother had its World Premiere at SXSW on March 12. It is currently seeking distribution.