I am always intrigued when filmmakers set creative limitations for themselves. Perhaps the most radical, but inconsistent, of these being Dogme 95, a Danish anvant-garde filmmaking movement founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. But we see this in other ways, most notably the “single location” film, often most effective in the horror genre. Even if it doesn’t work perfectly, it’s still something that sparks my curiosity and makes me pay more attention in a world where series are increasingly created to be background noise.
Such was the case with the SXSW25 premiere of Brother Verses Brother, a musical shot entirely in one take on the streets of San Francisco. Calling to mind John Carney’s Once (2007), the film follows brothers Ari and Ethan Gold, as they pop in and out of North Beach bars looking for gigs to showcase Ethan’s musical talent. They’re also deeply concerned about their elderly father who has said that he would show up to listen to one of Ethan’s performances but never does. So they set out on a journey, climbing Russian Hill (?), to check in on him. Ari quickly falls for a beautiful singer; the brothers are accosted by some drunks at a bar; they argue; and, ultimately, arrive at their father’s apartment to bid him goodnight. And there’s some singing along the way, which can occasionally be difficult to hear. That about sums it up.
Another single-shot narrative is dominating the cultural conversation at the moment, Netflix’s Adolescence. You can tell that the creators spent loads of time not only on choreographing camera movement, but on the dialogue as well. Brother Verses Brother contains numerous spiritual themes of brokenness, desire, yearning, family, and love, but, overall, it could have benefited from some slightly more scripted dialogue to flesh these out. Nevertheless, it is sweet and charming and the music (when you can hear it clearly) is beautiful.